Hole

We live on a street that has a creek that runs parallel. On our property this creek runs under our yard through a square concrete channel. Apparently the weight of all of the recent rain water collapsed the side of this channel. This caused a hole bigger than a Volkswagen. And a piece of the lateral sewer line disappeared, also.

This is a view looking North of the creek before it

enters my property.

Looking East -- toward the street.

Looking Southeast showing the drain pipe

toward the house.

Looking East, again. You can see the concrete channel.

I cut down a tree and laid it across the hole

and attached to it a come-along. With it I lifted the sewer line

from the bottom of the creek and reassembled it. I needed

an extension ladder to get in and out of the hole.

After these pictures were taken the hole became larger after another rain, the tree fell a couple of feet and the lateral line had to be reseated, again -- this time with temperatures in the teens. I had to light a fire in the hole to thaw out the pipe so it can be moved. The sink hole now measured 19 feet long; 14 feet wide and 12 feet deep.

The concrete wall of the creek channel was repaired by

constructing a form on the inside of the channel and one on the

outside. After the inside form was completed I had to crawl

out of the channel to its end.

Then I poured a yard of concrete by wheel barrow.

Another view. The chute used to pour concrete

into the forms is on the right. It was

a beautiful chute and performed admirably.

After an estimated 2000 wheelbarrow trips of fill dirt and

topsoil it is a garden. The spinach and broccoli are entrusted

with keeping the secret of what lies below.