Pasco County will begin work this week to clean out the massive sinkhole that swallowed two homes in Land O' Lakes.
On Tuesday, newly hired contractors checked out the sinkhole to make sure it was safe to begin work. The huge sinkhole destroyed two homes on July 14.
"They will be putting extra fill-in there to stabilize the area, to make sure with the heavy equipment coming in within the next few days it will be able to be supported by the ground," said Pasco County spokesman Doug Tobin.
On Monday, county leaders approved $1.3 million to remove debris and secure the site.
Throughout the week, equipment will be put in place and contaminants from the septic tanks and vehicles that fell into the sinkhole will be removed.
"Some of the contaminants in there, the biohazards, also some of the petroleum," said Tobin.
The goal is to have the cleanup completed within four weeks. However, work can be delayed depending on the safety around the sinkhole.
"It's a hole in the ground, I don't think it’s going to just disappear," said resident Shelbi Currey. "That's unreasonable to think, honestly I hope it doesn’t take years."
After the site is cleaned up, the county says it will begin the process of deciding how to fix it.
An environmental clean up company, Ceres Environmental Services, has been awarded a contract to begin work at 21825 and 21835 Ocean Pines Drive, where the huge sinkhole occurred.
Here's a breakdown of the total $1.3 million expenditures the Board approved:
- Debris Removal (CERES): $ 640,099
- Fill (Various Contractors): $ 300,000
- Water Hauling (EnvironWaste) $ 30,000
- Tip Fees: $ 14,570
- Initial Response Expenditures $ 78,194
- Contingencies: $ 237,137