Haag was asked to conduct a residential structural damage investigation and evaluation related to ground subsidence claim.
A homeowner was concerned after a 6-foot diameter, 3-1/2-foot-deep hole (dropout) opened up in the back yard at the property line. Sinkholes are common in the Tampa Bay area. At the time of the evaluation, Haag Engineers observed that a stormwater catch basin was located at the street in the vicinity of the property line. Further investigation revealed that a concrete stormwater pipe ran under the side property line and that it lay directly beneath the dropout. Soil had been washing into a hole in the pipe creating a void that eventually collapsed. The liability for correcting the problem shifted to the municipal stormwater utility.
