HUDSON, Fla. -- Pasco County officials said experts they've consulted with on the depressions in the Lakeside Woodlands community tell them it's unlike any situation they've encountered before.
- Officials: depression event "unprecedented" in Florida
- County consulting with multiple agencies on remediation methods
- County staff reportedly in touch with neighborhood residents multiple times a week
- More Pasco County stories
"This is an unprecedented event," said Pasco County Emergency Management Director Andy Fossa. "This is the first in the state of Florida that has popped up and grown like this, so any place we turn to look, they look at us, saying, 'We've never dealt with this."
In a report to the county, Professional Service Industries, Inc. said results of a geophysical survey show that conventional remediation methods could have adverse impacts on the cave system that runs beneath the neighborhood, nearby homes, adjacent wells, and the Florida Aquifer.
It also stated any construction vibrations that could come with repair efforts could cause more openings. Because of the unusual circumstances, Fossa and County Administrator Dan Biles said finding the right solution will likely be a long process.
In the meantime, they said county staff are in the neighborhood two to three times a week to speak with neighbors. They said residents are updated on the situation, and workers also ask about any changes they've noticed to their property.
The county recently filled small depressions that opened on the side of Willow Brook Court.
Fossa said the two main dangers to the neighborhood now are too much rain or too little.
"The bottom is so brittle underneath it now, it can't even hold water," he explained. "So when it rains it just passes through. So that's kind of a sign also that we see that when we spoke with PSI when they were out there, showing us just those patches show up out of nowhere, it's usually a sign you're going to have some depression area there, also," Fossa said.
While part of Willow Brook Court has been closed as a precaution, officials said there isn't believed to be danger to homes.