By Mike Rogers (Public Works Administrator)

Due to the unusual weather this past winter, the City of Peoria is now seeing the effects of the deep freeze – sink holes. Sinkholes are depressions or holes in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. They can appear anywhere, vary in size and may be formed gradually or suddenly.

This past winter, the frost penetrated in some places up to four feet down, freezing the ground.  When the ground freezes this deep, it can cause the pipe joints to shift, separate and cause the ground to collapse, creating a sinkhole. Because the City has a lot of old storm sewer pipes, we are now experiencing sink holes throughout the community.  It is the same effect as the water main breaks we have seen throughout Peoria this year.

Sink holes are not quick to repair.  Repairing a sink hole involves televising the pipes, determining the damage and cause, and then creating a priority list for repair.  This process, inspection and the repair itself can be time consuming depending upon the damage.

If you find a sink hole on your property, contact the Public Works Department immediately at (309)494-8800 and an inspector will come by and evaluate the damage.