Pasco pushing for mandatory sinkhole testing

Saturday, July 14, 2007

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County officials say testing for sinkholes would protect homeowners from potential problems.

Pasco County officials are examining a new way to protect potential home buyers from sinkholes.

The proposal would call for contractors to test areas for potential sinkholes before construction began.

This would ensure that geological testing on the property took place and there would be a record that buyers could look up if needed.

Pasco officials are working on the rule, still just in the planning stages.

"We have an effort underway to recognize areas that have significant geological hazardous conditions,'' said Pasco Assistant County Attorney Elizabeth Blair. "(This would make) builders direct housing development away from those areas.''

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In addition to warning buyers about the potential for ground settlement or collapse, the required testing would encourage builders to build away from sinkhole hot spots or compensate for it.

"The hope is that this is recognized by the insurance commissioner and at some point implement it into rates paid in Pasco for property insurance,'' said homebuilder Craig Fiebe. "If we have geotech maps with high incidents of sinkholes, it may be worth it to randomly test.''

But Fiebe warned that making sinkhole testing mandatory could also add more to the cost of building a home.

Pasco officials, meanwhile, said details of any type of mandatory sinkhole testing are still being worked out. The county will hold a to-be-scheduled public hearing on the issue sometime in August.