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A week later, the lengthy, costly rebuilding plan for the Pasco sinkhole begins

 
A sinkhole in Land O'Lakes, Fla., is seen Wednesday, July 19, 2017. The sinkhole ?‘ already one of the largest in Pasco County in decades ?‘ measures about 235 feet in width and 50 feet in depth, with the potential to expand further.
A sinkhole in Land O'Lakes, Fla., is seen Wednesday, July 19, 2017. The sinkhole ?‘ already one of the largest in Pasco County in decades ?‘ measures about 235 feet in width and 50 feet in depth, with the potential to expand further.
Published July 21, 2017

LAND O'LAKES — A week after a massive sinkhole opened in Pasco County, county officials have begun planning the long-term cleanup, which could take months and millions of dollars.

In the weeks ahead, the area will transition from a cordoned-off danger zone to a construction site, said Kevin Guthrie, assistant county administrator for public safety, at a news conference Thursday.

County officials are planning to first shore up the banks of the sinkhole, which opened July 14 and swallowed two homes, a boat and large sections of residential roadway. The plan is to haul in dirt to create a slope around the hole's edges to stabilize them.

Once that happens, workers will begin removing debris and contaminated water from the sinkhole.

They may then fill the hole, which will take an estimated 135,000 cubic yards of dirt — enough to fill more than 40 Olympic-size swimming pools. County spokeswoman Tambrey Laine said plans that far ahead are not definite, however.

For now, the plan remains on indefinite hold until results come back from ground-penetrating radar tests conducted to check the stability of the site. Depending on those results, work could begin as early as Saturday, Guthrie said.

The sinkhole affected both public and private property. Roughly one-third of the hole is county property and two-thirds is private, Laine said. County workers are coordinating with homeowners' insurance companies to determine a joint plan of action.

Regardless, the response will be costly to the county. It already has spent about $100,000 this past week on food, water and equipment, as well as on personnel costs for county staffers and off-duty police. The cost to remove the debris and water will range from $750,000 to more than $2 million, Guthrie said.

Once dirt is added to support the sinkhole's banks, the next step will be trickier. Officials will have to find a way to remove debris and contaminated water without harming the banks of the sinkhole, which could be problematic if it requires heavy construction equipment.

The sinkhole demonstrated its fragility Wednesday, when it widened by 10 feet from the erosion of sandy soil. Pasco's largest sinkhole in decades is now 235 feet wide and 50 feet deep.

Guthrie outlined three general options for removing debris: employing a dragline, a barge or a crane. The county is in the final stages of deciding which to use.

County Emergency Management officials said the dragline is a cable-operated system that would extend out and collect debris from the surface of the sinkhole. It would be "moving through the pond picking stuff up and moving it to the edge," Guthrie said.

Or the county could place a "small float barge" in the sinkhole with a backhoe on it, Guthrie said. That would also use an excavator to pick debris out of the hole.

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The third approach would be to use a crane to pick and pull debris out of the hole.

The dragline is the cheapest and fastest option, costing about $750,000 and estimated to take two or three weeks, Guthrie said. The other options could cost more than $2 million and take closer to one to two months.

Guthrie said he hoped to select a contractor for the debris removal by the end of Thursday.

While the sinkhole has caused tremendous damage and potentially millions of dollars more in repair costs, it has not caused any injuries. Guthrie said he intends to keep it that way, taking all necessary precautions in moving forward.

Contact Andrew Dunn at adunn@tampabay.com. Follow AndrewE_Dunn.