The Northern Sink Hole

The Sink Hole

People are used to hearing about Sink Holes in the Southern Delta areas, Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana. But have you ever heard of one in Northern New York State? I am talking about the Adirondack Mountains. It is rare for a Sink Hole to happen in this region. Most of the area is rock or mountainous. However, one such Sink Hole did happen.

Picture a home located in the prestigious Adirondack Park. Situated in a town surrounded by beautiful lakes and ponds. This is a newer home, circa 1970's. Most homes in the area are predated 1800. So, to find a newer home in excellent condition is a great affordable find. This home had its very own in-ground 32-foot-long by 16-foot-wide 10-foot-deep, custom made swimming pool. Beautifully protected by a green solid fence and surrounded by large patio stones. A fantastic sight if you ever saw one.

The owner of this home spent the first year repairing and getting the pool ready for the hot summer months. The first year of ownership was awesome. Fires by the pool, swimming, neighbors visiting, and having wonderful BBQ's. The following year however, changes were happening.

See, whoever designed the pool in the early or late 70's failed to properly line the pool with a concrete or ceramic base. They only put in a vinyl liner. You would not have known this as a new owner, until you wake up in the morning and your beautiful pool is completely empty. Not drained by a neighbor, or a fire department for an emergency. No! The water just vanished.

The homeowner panicked. He looked in the garage, the basement, the neighbor’s homes to see where several tons of water went. No one had any idea. The water was gone.

See, the liner ripped from age and just the overall weight of the water. Since there wasn't a solid base under the liner, the water simply flowed through the ground to wherever water goes. It didn't take long for the homeowner to realize he was in trouble.

He searched the surrounding areas for someone to repair this beautiful attraction. Not one company would take the chance. They too wanted to know where the water went. It wasn't long before everyone realized that the water eroded all the dirt around and under the pool. Within a couple of days, the pool sank an additional 12 feet down.

Now the homeowner has a massive hole in his back yard surrounded by a beautiful stone patio. I guess you could sit in the Adirondack Style Chairs and stare into this gaping hole for fun. Maybe have a drink, celebrate the irony of it all. Now, what to do.

Well, the only thing one can do is fill it in. It will take several loads of soil and rock to properly fill this gaping disaster. Maybe it could become a garden. Help save the planet by growing fresh vegetables. Or even placing honeybee hives in the area to help fertilize neighboring apple fields. Either way, no more summer swimming. No more late evening fires. No more showing off your new property. That is, unless people pay to see a giant sink hole. The humor behind it all is exhilarating.... Unfair.... but funny...

I guess the area could be saved if one could find 14 Tandem dump truck loads of dirt, and a great contractor (or heavy equipment operator) to do the work. Once that is done, maybe an above ground could be put in. Funny or now… fun in the sun in the Adirondack Park is a rarity of its own. Losing many years of family enjoyment seems to be the norm in these short summer and long winters here in the far North Country of New York.