Mark Brown said he first noticed a gaping hole next to the storm drain in his front yard last month
LIZELLA, Ga. – If you drive down the newly paved Waterwheel Court, you will see a white house at the end of the street where Mark Brown lives. He’s got quite a problem in his front yard.
“That four-foot-deep, six-foot-wide sinkhole in my yard is driving me crazy,” he said.
Brown first noticed it about a month ago. He says local and state authorities came by to investigate.
“They drew their lines, they dropped their ink. I was like, ‘Okay, who’s going to handle this?’ because no one knocked on my door and said, ‘Hello, I’ll check this for you,’ “he said.
Bibb County’s engineering department has contacted the Macon Water Authority for answers. Rainwater manager Marvin Land explains what they found after their investigation.
“Once we get out and measure the right-of-way distance from the middle of the road, the collapse on private property is off the right-of-way,” Land said. “At some point in the past, either a developer or a previous owner of a piece of land in an open trench that ran through the forest has failed over time and the pipe has collapsed, and that’s exactly what happens to corrugated iron pipe.”
The Macon Water Authority’s right of way ends approximately 27 feet from the center of the street. The hole measures a few meters beyond.
Land advises Brown to contact a general contractor.
“Dig where the collapse is, do a spot repair at this point to seal where the pipe is now empty, and keep an eye on it and wait as it comes,” Lane said. “Since this is a private problem, there is nothing we can do to help him.”
“Because the hole is on this side of the storm drain, it’s my responsibility, but if the hole was on that side they would have taken care of it. It’s pretty obvious that the storm drain is the problem, but their rules are their rules and it’s a matter of inches I guess and I have to figure out what to do next, “Brown said.
It’s exactly the answer he was hoping for, but Brown says he’s not giving up hope yet. He will continue to seek advice from contractors and other agencies until he has exhausted all of his options.
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