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Year-old sinkhole doesn't have quick fix in Baton Rouge neighborhood

3 years 6 months 2 weeks ago Wednesday, April 21 2021 Apr 21, 2021 April 21, 2021 5:30 PM April 21, 2021 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - There's a huge hole in someone's slice of heaven and the fix isn't easy.

Kristin Prejean reached out to 2 On Your Side and says she's been looking at a sinkhole for about a year. She wants it fixed before someone gets hurt.

"The hole's kind of growing bigger and bigger," said Prejean.

More than 20 years ago, Prejean's dad built his house on Azalea Lake. Their family has enjoyed the peace and serenity for a long time, until last year when the ground in their backyard became unstable.

"Last May we noticed the ground right here kind of started sinking," she said.

The hole is about three feet wide and four feet deep. It's been wrapped in plastic fencing and is surrounded by weeds. Inside of the hole, Prejean says you can see the buried electrical lines for the house. She's worried the electrical box will fall in, but she's also worried someone might fall in and get hurt.

The sinkhole is a product of a busted drainage pipe. That pipe comes from the main storm drain at the street and leads into Azalea Lake.

"We called the drainage department and asked them to come out and take a look," she said.

Someone came out two weeks ago. Prejean says she heard that they might have to drain the lake four to six feet to fix the issue. That's because the drain feeds into the lake underwater.

The City-Parish says one option is lowering the lake to fix the drainage pipe. The other option is to install a temporary dam to make appropriate repairs. The City-Parish says its main concern is remedying the issue while ensuring the drainage structure is working properly. It will be working with the property owners in the area to find a solution.

There's no timeline for this project's completion.

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