Post by Sharon Faulkner on Jun 3, 2007 12:13:09 GMT -5
Sinkhole leaves many guessing
May 30, 2007
By Hillary Wundrow
Explanations offered for gaping hole found in South Beloit's Villas of Oakfield.
It was just an average Tuesday morning when South Beloiter Marlene McCarter walked out her front door and noticed a gaping hole in her yard in South Beloit.
What had been a patch of lawn was transformed into a mysterious 6-foot-wide and 20-foot-deep sinkhole. “I don't think I'll be walking in my grass as much any more,” McCarter said.
Because the Villas of Oakfield was previously farmland, McCarter figured it probably was a natural occurrence. She called the South Beloit Fire Department at 11:20 a.m. to investigate the hole.
Once on scene, Oakfield Development President George Ruff authorized an environmental contractor to attempt to fill the hole.
First a cement mixture was poured in the sinkhole. Because the heavy mixture didn't drop any further, the contractors concluded that the hole didn't go down any further. The concrete mixture was sealed and dirt was poured on top, according to South Beloit Fire Department Assistant Chief Mike Davenport.
Davenport said the South Beloit Fire Department won't be investigating the incident any further. Davenport concluded it was probably a natural, albeit unusual incident. No other sinkholes have been found in the area.
Full Article
May 30, 2007
By Hillary Wundrow
Explanations offered for gaping hole found in South Beloit's Villas of Oakfield.
It was just an average Tuesday morning when South Beloiter Marlene McCarter walked out her front door and noticed a gaping hole in her yard in South Beloit.
What had been a patch of lawn was transformed into a mysterious 6-foot-wide and 20-foot-deep sinkhole. “I don't think I'll be walking in my grass as much any more,” McCarter said.
Because the Villas of Oakfield was previously farmland, McCarter figured it probably was a natural occurrence. She called the South Beloit Fire Department at 11:20 a.m. to investigate the hole.
Once on scene, Oakfield Development President George Ruff authorized an environmental contractor to attempt to fill the hole.
First a cement mixture was poured in the sinkhole. Because the heavy mixture didn't drop any further, the contractors concluded that the hole didn't go down any further. The concrete mixture was sealed and dirt was poured on top, according to South Beloit Fire Department Assistant Chief Mike Davenport.
Davenport said the South Beloit Fire Department won't be investigating the incident any further. Davenport concluded it was probably a natural, albeit unusual incident. No other sinkholes have been found in the area.
Full Article
