This could turn big....

Earlier this year Monica and I heard a story about Monica's Grandma's dog. It had fallen in a hole and some of Monica's relatives had to pull him out. Hadn't thought much more about it until yesterday. We went for a visit and they asked me if I had a way to push dirt with the tractor. On guard immediately because I know what is coming, I say yes, why?

They say they want someone to pull dirt from the hill and put into the hole. I go look at it. This hole is probably 15" across and maybe 36 inches deep. Which at first doesn't seem like a big deal until you look on one side going down the hill and there is probably a 15" tunnel going down the hill. Look to the other side and there is probably an 18" tunnel coming down the hill. I immediately back off and say that isn't something I could tackle with my tractor as any dirt put in the hole will just wash out. I immediately say they need to keep everyone away from that area as to who knows where that tunnel goes and how deep it ends up. I said they are probably going to have to someone in with a track-hoe - not a rubber tired back hoe and start digging to track where that tunnel starts. Then either figure how to divert the water down the hill, put a culvert in to run under ground, or dig the ground out and put rip-rap or something down to keep it from washing. The reason why they were asking me, they figured I could/would do it relatively cheap. There is no-way I'm taking my tractor and try to tackle this. I told them this is major earth work here and they are talking BIG BUCKS. They didn't like hearing that as Betty is on a fixed income and doesn't have any money and none of the kids except one has any money to spend on this problem.

Sad part about this, Monica's grandma owns a bunch of land, but since it is in Jackson Co., Ohio, it isn't worth much of anything. And it might actually be worth more if the house weren't there. I don't mean to be mean, but that is just the way it is. It is an old house that has been cobbled together for years always done on the cheap by whomever would do it for free or cheap.

Does she have any lumber to sell / barter? Lumber guys would have a dozer and it could make short work of it.
Value of the land might surprise you.

Used to be bunches of lumber. Mead came in several years ago and bought a lot of it. Most of it hasn't regrown much yet. I'll mention it to them though as that is a very good thought. I'm not sure how much property they own, so maybe some of it they could trade the lumber for some dirt work.

Thanks Doc!!

Jim,

Do I understand this right?

You're looking down what sounds like a clean-out for an underground pipe.

Is there any water flow in there now (or other reason why it can't be capped or otherwise filled in?

I see a couple different ways to fill that in (the vertical pipe only).

Line that vertical portion with a sonnet tube or plastic culvert pipe. If the former, I'd probably fill the bottom 2' with bentonite or concrete. If plastic culvert pipe, just fill it with dirt.

Wish it were an underground pipe. It is more like an underground creek that has wash the dirt out. The area where the dog fell in only has about 6 - 8" of dirt above the "tunnel."

Yesterday there was a little trickle of water flowing down it, but I bet when it rains this thing is full of water running down out of the hill. Truly made by nature, not man made.

Bentonite would block it nicely but what would happen when the upstream water is blocked, I can't answer.

Like you said, an excavator to follow it up/down stream is probably the way to go but who knows what you would get in to.

Just dump a bunch of straw bales into the hole and fill the rest with dirt. The water will filter through the bales but won't erode as long as they are still in the bale. Under the dirt it will take many years to disolve. Done this before and it works fine. Cheap fix too.

Pap