Sinkhole Alley
Florida “the Sunshine State” where the snowbirds go to escape the Winter. Yes, it is warm most of the year, the roads are regularly fixed and the laws mostly enforced, but some folks get a sinking feeling around the property especially North of Tampa and south of Pensacola. That sinking feeling is just the earth collapsing beneath you. Central Florida is especially susceptible to sinkholes data shows. Thanks to the fact that the state sits on a bedrock made up mainly of limestone. And because of how porous limestone is, water can seep in and eat away at this layer, forming cracks that eventually cause the ground itself to collapse. While nowhere in the state is immune to sinkholes, Central Florida tends to see them form much more often, leading to the region being dubbed “Sinkhole Alley.” However, experts at the University of Florida say that more sinkholes have been forming in recent years due to factors like climate change and land development. In fact, a 300-foot-deep sinkhole opened up beneath a Central Florida fertilizer plant back in 2016, which reportedly sent millions of gallons of contaminated sludge into the state’s main drinking water aquifer.
Within Central Florida, places like Orlando’s Lake Eola and Winter Park’s Lake Rose actually got their starts as sinkholes. U of F’s Chopra told News 6 that there’s an easy way to tell whether a lake in Florida began as a sinkhole. “If you fly over Central Florida, if you see those really round lakes, they’re probably sinkholes, because a sinkhole is typically a funnel that fails the surface and falls in,” he explained. A massive sinkhole opens up in Winter Park in 1981, eventually forming into Lake Rose.
Some geological experts believe the sinkhole activity is increasing because developers are pumping more water out of the ground for new projects or for agricultural use. While acid in the water itself is what causes the limestone under much of Florida to dissipate and create the holes, the water also acts as a support. Add water from heavy rains on the top soil, and you’ve got a bigger problem. “As builders are forced to go farther and farther out of cities in search of developable land, compromises such as building on less than ideal sites have to be made to deliver competitively priced properties,” said Peter Zalewski, an expert in Florida real estate development. “We think this factor is only going to contribute to the sinkhole problem in the future on the Florida peninsula. At the end of the day, technology can only serve as a stopgap against Mother Nature.” Unlike hurricanes, noted Zalewski, one can neither predict a sinkhole disaster nor really prepare for it. While developers do have to do some drilling in order to comply with building codes, it is impossible to know if a sinkhole will develop even a year or two after the structure is completed.
Holey Humor
What is the legal loophole in breaking and entering laws?
The Santa Clause.
A gushing female reporter told Jack Nicholas, “You are spectacular, your name is synonymous with the game of golf, you really know your way around the course, what is your secret?”
icklaus replied, “the holes are numbered.”
What do you call a bakery that only sells bagels and donuts?
Hole foods.
I told my friend I have an acute sense of when a deep hole with water is nearby. He said that is a useless ability.
“I’m well aware.”
July 18th Birthdays
1980 – Kristen Bell, 1961 – Elizabeth McGovern, 1983 – Priyanka Chopra, 1960 – Anne-Marie Johnson
1918 – Nelson Mandela, 1921 – John Glenn, 1947 – Steve Forbes,1951 – Richard Branson
Morning Motivator:
Beware the politically obsessed. They are often bright and interesting, but they have something missing in their natures; there is a hole, an empty place, and they use politics to fill it up.