Authorities in Ruskin, Florida, were concerned with a backyard depression this week, fearing it was a dangerous sinkhole like the one in a nearby town last month that tragically swallowed part of a house and took the life of one man.

This hole turned out to be caused by a collapsed septic tank that was apparently abandoned improperly many years ago. You can see a video news report about the collapsed tank here:

http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/309217/8/Apparent-sinkhole-in-Ruskin-likely-a-broken-septic-tank

Residents in Florida have been on edge since the massive sinkhole in Seffner that opened up under the bedroom of Jeff Bush, who disappeared and was never found. The residents of the Ruskin home were evacuated and stayed in a hotel while officials probed the area and determined a septic tank was the cause of a crack in their backyard, about 10 feet from the house.

This situation underscores the importance of properly abandoning a septic tank when it’s no longer in use, whether by filling it in or crushing it and filling the hole. It’s critically important that tanks are not left to deteriorate and create a collapse hazard. We’ve heard of other instances where people are either seriously injured or killed when an improperly abandoned tank – or a deteriorated tank still in use – collapses under their feet.

Besides the concern over abandoned tanks, stories like this one should give your customers another good reason to insist on periodic inspections of their septic systems. A well-maintained septic tank can provide good service for many years, while a tank that is ignored for a generation can cause problems with proper sanitation and risks associated with deterioration.

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