Growers In Center Of Sinkhole Situation
January 12, 2010 According to reports, 15 sinkholes have appeared around Plant City since Monday. Hillsborough County crews have been dispatched to test the locations and other suspected locations and close sections of roads, if necessary. The sinkholes have prompted the partial shutdown of several area roadways.
Two eastbound lanes of Interstate 4 in Plant City closed down Tuesday afternoon for a suspected sinkhole.
In addition, two more sinkholes reported near Lake Wales in Polk County closed down a two-mile stretch of U.S. 27.
Sinkholes can appear when groundwater is extracted quickly or in large quantities. They from in Karst terrain principally from the collapse of surface sediments into underground cavities in limestone bedrock, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The recent cold spell forced many growers to protect their crop by pumping large volumes of water onto their plants. While not saying the pumping was a direct cause for the sinkholes, a Southwest Florida Water Management District spokesperson said the aquifer, in some places, fell almost 60 feet since the freeze threat began. Such a marked drop in water levels can be a trigger for sinkholes though.
The extent of the damage and repair cost will not be known until officials can assess the sinkholes after the ground has settled.
Click here to view a map of where the sinkholes are.
Sources: Hillsborough County Public Works Department and The Tampa Tribune
To see more on the sinkholes in Lake Wales, go to CFNews13.com.