Photo By Rachael Anne Ryals
The first of many sinkholes discovered in High Springs following a heavy rain in September is shown above. The width of the hole is only 10 feet, but the depth is more than 50 feet. This sinkhole was found on Friday, and by Monday another half a dozen were found.
Photo By Rachael Anne Ryals
A massive sinkhole more than 75 feet deep and 100 feet across recently opened in High Springs. After a torrential downpour on Sept. 17, High Springs workers began to notice extremely deep sinkholes on city property near the sewer plant. Almost a dozen sinkholes opened around the city, including this one at the sewer plant. Full sized pine trees can be seen in the photo, snapped like twigs from the impact of the ground collapsing.
HIGH SPRINGS – The cries of a deer trapped in a manhole-like cavern far below the ground first brought attention to the sinkhole.
A doe had fallen into a newly formed sinkhole on Friday, Sept. 14, and contracted workers at the city of High Springs’ sewer plant tried to save the deer by climbing into the new sinkhole. The hole is so deep it is hard to see the bottom.
The workers were able to get the deer out of the hole by using a rope to lower a worker into the hole and then hoisting the deer and the worker out. Unfortunately, the deer later died.
Less than 10 feet in width but more 50 feet deep, the sinkhole was the first of many discovered in High Spring after a Thursday, Sept. 15, torrential downpour. That downpour brought 5.4 inches to the area in 8 hours, according to Megan Wetherington with the Suwannee River Water Management District. FULL STORY
