New York City is a unique metropolis humming with energy 24 hours a day. Unfortunately, sinkholes are forming in the Big Apple with increasing frequency. Read on for important things to know about New York City sinkholes.
Sinkhole Causes
A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground that collects drainage. The liquid will eventually drain into the ground subsurface, which causes the ground to dip more and form a larger opening. Sinkholes quickly worsen and become deeper, larger, and more dangerous without intervention.
Outdated underground infrastructure makes sinkholes more common in NYC now than in the past. When an old water main or sewer line breaks, the leaks can cause the surrounding ground to erode, lose stability, and form sinkholes.
Dangers of Sinkholes
One of the most obvious dangers of sinkholes is that people can fall into them and sustain injuries. Sinkholes can also damage surrounding buildings and infrastructure.
If a broken sewer line causes a sinkhole, raw sewage can seep out of the break and into the ground. Sewer gas is a mixture of toxic and nontoxic gases, and exposure to sewage can irritate the eyes and respiratory tract and cause other symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Of course, no one wants to live with that terrible smell.
Sinkhole Repair
Standard sinkhole repair can take anywhere from one day to several. The timeframe and method of repair depend on the sinkhole’s cause and the damage’s extent.
Harris Water Main and Sewer can detect if a water main leak or a break in your sewer line caused the sinkhole on your property. Then, we can fix the problem.
One method for determining a water main leak is to perform a water main sound test. If your water main emits any sound, this is a strong indication you have a leak. One of the most important things to know about sinkholes caused by water mains is that many older systems in NYC use lead pipes. We will replace lead pipes with safe copper piping.
We can inspect your sewer line by feeding a camera into your system. The sewer line camera inspection will give us a detailed, real-time visual of your sewer line.
Contact Harris for emergency water main repair in NYC. We will inspect your equipment and obtain all required permits to install a new water line. Act quickly to address the sinkhole on your property.
