Some homeowners who live in Woodridge Estates in Arnold are left to figure out who is responsible for fixing a giant sinkhole that formed in their backyards after torrential rain on July 16.
A large, rusted, corrugated metal stormwater pipe is probably to blame for the hole, which affects properties in the 800 block of Woodridge Drive, off Tenbrook Road, said City Administrator Bryan Richison.
It appears the hole formed after the pipe, which runs along the backyards of four property owners living in a fourplex broke or collapsed during the heavy downpour, he said.
Pam Manning, a representative of the subdivision’s homeowner association, said the hole is approximately 30 feet long and 20 feet wide
Manning said July 18 that the hole keeps growing as more dirt along the edges comes loose.
The sinkhole primarily affects a property that belongs to a 94-year-old woman who has lived in the fourplex for about 30 years, Manning said.
The 94-year-old woman could not be reached for comment.
The hole has ripped a portion of the woman’s fence from the ground, leaving it hanging over the hole. The hole also exposed utility lines and uprooted at least one nearby tree.
One of the other fourplex residents, Bonnie Smith, has lived in the subdivision for five years and said she wasn’t aware of the pipe’s existence before the hole formed, adding that a creek runs parallel to her backyard fence, about 3 feet from the edge of her property.
Smith said she found out about the sinkhole when she saw emergency first responders near her neighbor’s property on July 16.
“The police were here, the fire department was here, the city of Arnold was here, the road people were here,” she said. “They kind of just washed their hands of it and walked away. Everybody has said, ‘It’s not our problem.’”
Smith said representatives from the Spire natural gas company came on July 16 to turn off the gas to a line that ran near the hole and city officials advised the fourplex residents to find somewhere else to stay for two nights due to concerns about a potential gas leak.
She said some of the residents stayed with friends while others stayed in a hotel.
The residents were allowed to visit their homes during the day from July 16-July 18, but they were prohibited from sleeping there until July 18, Richison said.
City’s response
Richison said representatives from the city of Arnold, including ones from the Arnold Public Works Department, have examined the damage and reviewed plans and maps that indicate the area is private property.
He said it doesn’t appear the city has easements or rights-of-way in the area, so he believes the homeowners will be responsible for the repairs, which could be costly.
City Attorney Bob Sweeney said at the July 18 City Council meeting that the city can’t legally spend public money on private property.
He said he would work with the homeowners to provide them information about how they should proceed.
“The problem with the city doing work on this is that we’re not allowed to do so,” Sweeney said. “It’s constitutionally prohibited. Because this is private property that has never been accepted by the city, any repairs (funded by the city) may be inappropriate.”
Richison said he believes a developer installed the stormwater pipes in the subdivision decades ago.
He said it looks like a lot of excavation work will be required to fix the stormwater pipe, which could affect neighboring properties as well.
Based on documents he has seen, Richison said it appears the subdivision is responsible for the stormwater basin, but he doesn’t think the subdivision’s homeowners association is responsible for paying for the repairs.
“It’s not going to be a cheap repair and it’s a thorny situation,” Richison said at the council meeting.
HOA’s response
Manning said she was returning to her home, which is a street over from the fourplex, on July 16 when she saw emergency vehicles there.
She said her immediate concern was for the woman who lives closest to the hole and keeping her neighbors safe.
Manning said police eventually roped off the area to prevent anyone from getting too close to the hole.
Manning said she, Smith, and others are making calls and doing research to find out what to do next.
She said she believes the city has some responsibility in repairing the stormwater pipe.
“I’m sure (the city) is taking their time and figuring out who is responsible,” she said. “I’m sure that’s what’s happening. I don’t think anybody’s really dropping the ball – I don’t want to say that – but we’ve just been calling everybody because we don’t want that to happen.”
Arnold Councilman Mark Hood of Ward 3, which takes in Woodridge Estates, said the city’s attorney is looking into whether the HOA should support the property owner in fixing the sinkhole.
He said an HOA’s bylaws can be complicated, and tribal knowledge can be lost over time as neighbors move away.
“It really comes down to mapping – they might not understand the mapping, which is the sad part,” Hood said. “You get new people in, and the people who were there when the plat was made 30 years ago are not around anymore.”
Manning said the HOA does not bear any responsibility for repairing the pipe.
“We’re not responsible for any of it,” she said. “All we do is take care of the grass.”
Homeowner’s response
Little information is known about the creek that runs parallel to the Woodridge Drive residences, Smith said.
She said she believes the creek is eroding and creeping closer to her property line.
According to a Federal Emergency Management Agency satellite image captured on May 14, an unnamed Meramec River tributary lies to the north of the property, with a small offshoot of the tributary running through the rear of the property.
Smith said the onus for repairing the damage shouldn’t be placed on the homeowners, adding that she and her neighbors are working to find the history of the area and the original builders of the subdivision.
She also said she’s working to get a representative from the U.S. Corps of Engineers to the property to survey the damage.
“I feel so terrible for this (94-year-old) lady because she’s been told by her insurance company that this is not covered, this is an act of God,” Smith said. “As homeowners, we can’t see through the dirt. We didn’t know this (pipe) was there.”
With more heavy rain in the forecast, Smith said she’s worried the hole will grow larger.
“(The hole) has gotten worse,” Smith said on July 18. “It’s breaking off. We sprayed paint along the edges to see if more had fallen off, and more has definitely fallen off. Spire sprayed their own dots and those are starting to break off.”
Manning agreed.
“The sinkhole will spread if more rain appears,” she said.