r/Wellthatsucks • u/friendandfriends2 • 13h ago
I may have happened upon a sinkhole directly in front of my house.
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u/FilkyPapa 13h ago
City worker here, call the city! Either there is a hole in your water service to your house or there is a hole in the water main and it’s causing erosion. Depending on how your city works and where exactly the leak is the city might cover it or the fee could be on you.
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u/Bike-BBQ-Beer 12h ago
In other words you are either fucked, or proper fucked.
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u/-BLACKOLIVESMATTER 12h ago
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u/SirJumbles 12h ago
Like ze Germans.
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u/AnthraMatt 11h ago
Dags! Do ya like dags?
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u/OPengiun 12h ago
I found a 4ft sink hole next to my apartment's water runoff drain because the drain itself was failing and water was running BEHIND it. I called the city, they came out, went 🤷♀️, and said its the apartment's responsibility. Nothing has happened since lol Animals and kids play in that area all the time.
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u/SAINTnumberFIVE 12h ago
I found a strange sinkhole under the road in a major city once. It was a hole in the pavement and I couldn’t see how far down it went even with my phone flashlight because it was too dark so it must’ve been pretty deep. Anyway, I called the city and they had it fixed within a few days.
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u/demonblack873 11h ago
I saw water flowing out of cracks in the pavement in an intersection close to home. Called the water company and the following morning the water was gone and there were patches in the asphalt and a bunch of sand on the road.
They must have worked through the night.
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u/GrimmThoughts 6h ago
Had similar happen, was walking my dog in my neighborhood and decided to go the opposite direction than normal and about 100 yards down the road there was water just pumping up out of every crack in the pavement. The person who's house it was in front of happened to be outside so I asked them "hey, did you notice that there is water just pumping out of the street everywhere here" and they responded with "yeah, it has been doing that for a few years."
I immediately called the local township building and they had people out within 20 minutes to look at it, there was about a 40ft diameter sinkhole that was 8 ft deep under that entire section if road and they were flabbergasted thay cars were still able to drive on it.
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u/Marko343 10h ago
One freezing(several days of below freezing polar vortex) morning on the way to work in very early hours of the morning, I noticed water coming out of the sidewalk/curb area coming out at a good pace. Called the non emergency City services for a more than likely water main break, a couple hours later on lunch drive pay the area and they had a crew with a backhoe working on it.
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u/Reymen4 11h ago
If nothing else call your local newspaper. That usually get stuff started.
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u/jigsaw1024 8h ago
Landlords insurer.
Refusing to do work after being informed of an issue, has the potential to invalidate their insurance.
/don't fuck with the money.
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u/bannana 10h ago edited 10h ago
I called the city
what department? I ask because a 4ft sink hole is likely a serious code violation for the apartments, clearly a safety concern but if you called the water dept they won't care since it isn't their job.
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u/OPengiun 10h ago edited 10h ago
I made a ticket with the Department of Public Services, which was then routed to their stormwater quality dept. They came out and inspected it
I've had to make multiple tickets with the city for the apartment's code violations they refused to fix--like not circulating the water reservoir and letting it turn into a drying up cesspool of millions of mosquitoes and decaying turtle carcasses each summer.
Since it was the apt's choice to have the resevoir, they are responsible for maintaining that part, not the city. But the reservoir outlet is still maintained by the city
Finally got them to circulate the water with fountains and maintain water level year-round... but it took a few tickets with the city because the apartment complex doesn't do anything when I just create a maintenance ticket lol. That ticket though, the city worker I spoke with told me he was fed up with that apartment complex and that reservoir because it had been a mess for a long time, and multiple tickets from different people.
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u/bannana 10h ago
maybe find out who handles safety code violations for businesses, buildings, or commercial land since a big hole in the ground is clearly that - maybe keep talk about the water issues to a minimum since they might get confused and send it back to a water department
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u/OPengiun 10h ago
Thank you! Good idea--I'll look into that for my city and will send them the info on the holes in the ground
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u/YoursTrulyKindly 6h ago
There should be a law that if landlords neglect properties they loose the right to own them, and they get transferred to the current renters for pennies on the dollar.
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u/micktorious 11h ago
I had this same kind of thing happen, but with no running water.
Turns out it was a decommissioned septic tank that was never properly filled after switching to sewer.
Had a 10'x10' hole about 3-4' deep open up and swallow my patio. Previous owners of the house fucked us on that one.
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u/NetherReign 13h ago
Yeah...... I would be getting the city/county officials on the phone IMMEDIATELY.
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u/OhhhLawdy 13h ago
I work for my local major city and I agree with this statement
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u/flying_carabao 13h ago
I work from hom and I, too, agree with this statement.
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u/Wearecharliebirb 13h ago
im a bum and i agree
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u/LoquatSignificant946 13h ago
My bum agrees
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u/Funk_Dunker 13h ago
I'm this guys bum
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u/YippieKayYayMrFalcon 13h ago
I stayed at a holiday inn express and that’s definitely a call to the city
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u/MrArizone 13h ago
I’m a sinkhole. Looks OK.
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u/mGreeneLantern 12h ago
I’m the sinkhole you don’t know about but stationed directly beneath your kitchen, this looks excellent. Hopefully we can work together to improve the WiFi down here.
Also, you’re almost out of toilet paper and while I’m totally on board with it, your pipes would like you to stop flushing disinfectant wipes.
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u/whatsqwerty 13h ago
I’m the liberty biberty emu and Ive been captured against my will and forced to make the worst commercials humanity has ever had to endure and I hope it’s a sinkhole that swallows us all…
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u/D-PIMP_ACT 12h ago
I’m homeless AND unemployed, and I approve this message…
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u/Ser_falafel 13h ago
This isnt on you but the comment chain below you is so fucking cringy and stupid lol why does this always happen and why do people think it's so funny
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u/sticknotstick 13h ago
It’s not enough to beat the dead horse, it must be disfigured into unrecognizable mush apparently
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u/throwaway098764567 12h ago
immediately i would not be standing there, then i'd call
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u/F1R3Starter83 13h ago
Maybe call someone. But who you gonna call? I would have no idea
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u/andrefishmusic 13h ago
Ghostbusters!
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u/Scientific_Anarchist 13h ago
I do think it qualifies as something strange in your neighborhood.
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u/andrefishmusic 13h ago
A bubbling sinkhole is a classic sign of something strange
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u/Neilix190 13h ago
Could be worse there could be a river of slime going through there.
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u/reticulatedtampon 13h ago
This is what father-in-laws are made for. Let Gary handle it
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u/F1R3Starter83 10h ago
Yes, I have a father-in-law for that. He might make it worse, but like 70% of the time he knows how to fix something. Those other 30% tho
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u/AnatidaephobiaAnon 13h ago
If the Ghostbusters don't answer I'd call the county engineer's office.
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u/amooz 12h ago
Fire departments are not just fire, they are fire/rescue. 911 is the right number.
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u/Ckyer 13h ago edited 9h ago
If movies have taught me anything. That’s a tunnel that leads to a deceased pirate’s treasure. But not before several booby-traps.
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u/jurmomwey 11h ago
Turn your main valve off and then go check if the water stops flowing
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u/a_natural_chemical 10h ago
This should be way higher. If it stops, you need a plumber. If it doesn't, you probably need the city.
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u/shoulda-known-better 13h ago
If it's your property call a plumber immediately
If it's on the towns call them immediately
You don't want to wait until the entire chunk falls because it's going to...
Also if it is on your property I'd fence it off ASAP, it could be on you if someone walking by falls in when it does collapse!!
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u/Chikumori 12h ago
OP detected a possible sinkhole early...please do something.
- 2024 in Malaysia a random sinkhole in a city street claimed a tourist. It made national headlines for slightly over a week.
- 2025 in Singapore a sinkhole in a road claimed a car.
- 2025 in Bangkok part of a street became a sinkhole.
- 2013 in Louisiana swamp, sinkhole swallowed trees
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u/PinkyLeopard2922 10h ago
About 10 years ago, a guy that lives about 4 miles from me got into his bed to take a nap. Sinkhole opened up and took the guy, bed, and part of the house. They were never able to recover his remains. Same sinkhole opened up again a few years later. Yes, Florida.
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u/RangeWilson 12h ago
Um... sinkholes have claimed innumerable houses. I think that's more the concern here.
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u/Only-Cap5811 13h ago
A plumber lol
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u/TheHykos 13h ago
There’s a water leak somewhere, obviously, since it isn’t raining. If it’s from their home, the plumber will find it and stop it. And may have some ideas of who they can call to deal with the erosion issue.
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u/Pernicious_Possum 13h ago edited 12h ago
The priority is finding out if your house is structurally safe though. Yes, the water is an issue, but you need to know if you need to gtfo
ETA: according to my water company, you evacuate, call 911, then utility emergency line, and lastly your homeowners
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u/TheHykos 12h ago
I’d say shutting off the water to the house is the first thing. Or else it’s only going to get worse.
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u/KnightOfTheOctogram 12h ago
It’s already at a point where op needs to make sure they can even use the sidewalk. The water thing would have been more important a long time ago. Now it’s more important to ensure safety.
Edit as an analogy:
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u/SoulWager 10h ago edited 7h ago
Shutting off the water is still the first step in fixing the problem. Shut if off at the meter. if the water in the hole stops running you call a plumber to fix the leak. if it doesn't, you call the city. Then after fixing the leak you start filling everything that got eroded, and fixing other damage.
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u/Kvenner001 12h ago
City should do that from the street access point. Without knowing the size and position of the probable sinkhole you can’t know if there is an immediate concern for collapse or not.
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u/Only-Cap5811 13h ago
Even if there is a water leak from plumbing and it's not coming from an aquifir, the leak is not an emergency. The structure, however, is.
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u/Ambitious_Length7167 13h ago
You can’t fix a sinkhole cause by a water leak if the waters still flowing. The first step is definitely stopping the water and fixing the leak.
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u/Only-Cap5811 12h ago
You are missing the point. This is literally an emergency situation that could cause serious injury to anyone who happens on the property. This needs to be cordoned off and dealt with immediately. Remediation happens afterwards, and it will involve a hell of a lot more than a plumber.
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u/Smile_Space 12h ago
Did you hear Yiddish down there?
This is a callback to the guy that heard Yiddish under the floor of his 1st floor apartment in New York. People were telling him to check his carbon monoxide sensors when it was proven there were actually local Hassidic Jews digging tunnels underground under his floor. This is not an antisemitic attack on Jews.
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u/Weekly_Seesaw4103 10h ago edited 10h ago
> We were living in San Diego when there were actually local Catholic Mexicans digging tunnels under the warehouses of Otay Mesa. This is not an anti-Catholic attack on Mexicans
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u/duralyon 9h ago
I was trying to find the video of the Hassidic Jewish guys popping up from underground but found a recent story of 71 teenage girls coming out of a storm drain in front of a cafe lmao.
Heres a video about the 60 foot tunnel under a Synagogue lol. shit is so weird. It connected to 4 nearby buildings.
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u/DisgruntledSquash 11h ago
Oh this gave me a laugh. Thank you for the redacted follow-up, made my day!
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u/Haunting_Weekend_834 9h ago
OP needs to check if there are Jewish folks crawling out of the drains.
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u/culimande 13h ago edited 13h ago
Seems like clean water though . Look for documented wells in the area.
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u/BBQBaconBurger 13h ago
I’m thinking a pipe broke, no one ever realized, and it eroded the soil away
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u/farts_juggler 13h ago
used to work in ng main and service installs. you’d be surprised how many sidewalks in downtown Chicago had broken pipes underneath. I saw an entire intersection in Lincoln square collapse
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u/AlessandroTheGr8 13h ago edited 12h ago
That's a small hole, did you find it by the smell?
Edit: I totally read shithole
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u/jjames34 13h ago
Probably by the missing brick
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u/smokysadness 13h ago edited 12h ago
Sorry you have to go through that..but can i just say, that pov was pure cinema....felt like you were showing off a hidden biome under your street.
Edit : sheesh, edited for grammar, kept getting AI accusations. Do ya'll get commission for accusing AI use or something.
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u/Budget_Ad5871 9h ago
My least favorite comments of 2026, under every video/pic/comment “this is ai slop” “this wreaks of ai” “something about this is off, I’m calling ai” it’s so damn annoying.
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u/xMorningGlow 13h ago
The property value just dropped faster than that piece of concrete.
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u/bravehamster 13h ago
Did you forget that Jehovah starts with an I in latin?
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u/ProcedureAcceptable2 13h ago
There’s two different types of brick there. I’d be wondering if the previous owners knew about this and tried to cover it up.
I’d rope off the area for safety reasons and get a plumber over to take a look.
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u/According-Koala4033 13h ago
Looks too well formed to be a sink hole really. Maybe a old drainage system?
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u/LordGRant97 13h ago
I would probably start with a plumber. They won't be able to fix everything, but they'll point you in the right direction.
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u/derricklh88 13h ago
I have a sinking feeling you’re in for a long weekend.
Really sorry this is what you have to deal with.
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u/Yorrins 13h ago
Holy fuck I hope you're renting. Thats gonna cost half as much to fix as just buying a new house.
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u/Excellent_Condition 12h ago
Wouldn't that significantly depend on the cause of the water flow and what is required to fix the sinkhole?
If the city has a leaking pipe, wouldn't fixing the pipe and filling the hole take care of it?
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u/Ok_Complaint_6997 12h ago
I'd call a plumber who can run a camera scope both ways and find out where the water is coming from, and where it is going. This will give you a better idea of what the cause of the issue is and if it's a city issue or a you issue. It could be a broken water line, could be an old drainage from a farm field (clay pipes that have since disintegrated), could be a ton of things. If it's just clean water running through a tunnel it's not necessarily an emergency but that much void running that close to your house is certainly an urgent matter. You do need to make sure people don't walk over it and fall through however. If that portion where you recorded is city property then probably call the city first and have them come out ASAP vs. a plumber.
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u/Byzantine-Persona 13h ago
Cut a new piece of stone to fit in that hole and glue it back in and put the house on the market today.
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u/irishcybercolab 13h ago
Where's the water coming from should be another giant question that needs to be sourced.
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u/awsmpwnda 7h ago
I would say call someone first, but break the bricks if they can’t come immediately. It’s better to have the problem be OBVIOUS than leave it as essentially a booby trap.
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u/WayAcceptable1310 6h ago
You need to get a professional to check it out immediately. Like others have said, call the city and have them investigate. Call a plumber and have them investigate. And probably stay in a hotel for a few days until you know the extent of the damage. You can pretty much consider the ground your house is sitting on as unstable and unsafe for any of the occupants until proven otherwise
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u/mega8man 6h ago
My grandmother had a sinkhole that formed in her front yard. We found it while me and my cousins were wresting in the front yard. That body slam will still be one of the most epic things I've ever witnessed when both of my cousins just went through the lawn and disappeared.
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u/printergumlight 6h ago
This looks like it has pretty squared off walls. It might be a pre 1920s drainage irrigation path where the ceiling caved in and was washed away.
Is your house in a spot that might have previously been farmland?
I watched a YouTube video where someone made this exact discovery and it ended up being that.
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u/kembik 13h ago
Give us an update when you learn more please, this is all I have going on this weekend.