Tarpon Springs Sinkhole Evacuations May Last A Few Days

TARPON SPRINGS, FL — As a possible sinkhole in Tarpon Springs is assessed and repaired, the city and Pinellas County Emergency Management are working to help residents secure temporary housing while evacuation orders stand.

A total of six mobile homes were evacuated Wednesday morning after the possible sinkhole opened near the Tarpon Shores Mobile Home Park on Mango Street, close to U.S. 19.

"Tarpon Springs and Pinellas County Emergency Management and the Red Cross are working with those evacuated to provide a place for them to stay for tonight and possibly tomorrow night to assure that the situation has stabilized," the city wrote in a Wednesday afternoon email to media.

The depression measured 60 feet across and was 35 feet in deep as of Wednesday morning, the city noted.

No injuries have been reported.

By Wednesday afternoon, the city reported that contractors were working in the area to fix a previous road collapse when the hole opened. The new depression, the city said, damaged a 30-inch Pinellas County sewer line, a 6-inch city sewer line and a 4-inch city water line.

"There has been a boil water notice issued for a small commercial plaza serviced by the City water line (Olympic Plaza)," the city wrote in an email to media. "All businesses affected are being notified. Water is currently turned off at this location. No other boil water notices have been issued by the City of Tarpon Springs."

Pinellas County Utilities officials say crews are working to divert water flow from the 30-inch sewer force main located near the mobile home park.

"To reduce pressure on the water force main, all residents east of Lake Tarpon and north of East Lake Woodlands are being asked to avoid unnecessary use of water," the agency wrote in an email to media.

The city and county are also working to "drain the wastewater from the hole at this time so that further assessment of the damage and repairs can take place," the city's email said. "In addition both utilities have staged pump trucks to maintain affected lift stations."

It remains unclear how soon the lines or the hole will be fixed.

Sinkholes are a common occurrence in Florida, the state's Department of Environmental Protection reports. That agency defines them as "a landform created by subsidence of soil, sediment, or rock as underlying strata are dissolved by groundwater. A sinkhole forms by collapse into subterranean voids created by dissolution of limestone or dolostone or by subsidence as these strata are dissolved."

To help Floridians better understand these formations, DEP has created a sinkhole information page on its website. That page delves into such topics as sinkhole detection, information about Florida geology and even addresses the question "What's up with all the sinkholes?"

The Tampa Bay area has witnessed a number of sinkhole openings in the past year. Last August, the Seffner sinkhole that swallowed a man while he was in bed back in 2013 reopened.

This is a developing story. Refresh the page for updates as they become available.

Photos courtesy of the City of Tarpon Springs

Sign up for the Tarpon Springs Patch newsletter and alerts!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, too!