SEFFNER, Fla. — Crews are dumping tons of gravel and mixing it with water to fill a sinkhole in Seffner. On July 10, Hillsborough County officials were notified that the deadly sinkhole reopened for the third time in 10 years.
Closing the 19-foot deep and 16-foot wide sinkhole on Faithway Drive is a meticulous process.
“The dump truck brings in loads of gravel, and then we have folks in a high exit go ahead and use the claw to dump that in. We water it in the process of doing that as well. It’s basically a rinse, wash, repeat event,” said Jon-Paul Lavandeira, Hillsborough County Code Enforcement Division Director.
The sinkhole first opened in 2013, claiming the life of 36-year-old Jeffrey Bush when the hole swallowed him in his home. The county tore down his home and the ones next to it. The sinkhole was filled, and two layers of fencing was placed around it.
The hole reopened for the first time in 2015. One person who lives nearby said she didn’t learn the area was prone to sinkholes until after purchasing her home.
“In the beginning, when I moved here, I didn’t sleep. I was scared because of that, and seeing this now worries me,” said Yesenia Nieves.
Crews are using the same process from 2015 to fill the hole again. The process involves using an excavator to place fine gravel into the sinkhole. Workers are using a water truck to spray the gravel during installation, which helps with compaction. The method is designed to minimize danger to surrounding areas by containing any future reopening to the original location and prevent expansion of the opening. Still, neighbors are concerned it will happen again.
“Coming from New York, I don’t know a lot of information about sinkholes, but they have told me that sinkholes travel,” Nieves said.
County officials estimate that it will take 150 cubic yards of gravel to fill the sinkhole. They said no other homes are in danger.
“Everybody is safe. We've looked at this situation with the engineers. This is in an area we control, hence the reason why this thing is behind two fences,” Lavandeira said. “No one needs to be alarmed. We have a plan of attack and we’re going to address this.”
The process of filling the sinkhole will take several days. Work is expected to be completed later this week.
