DAISETTA, Texas — A giant sinkhole in Liberty County that appeared dormant is once again swallowing land around it in the small town of Daisetta, which sits on top of a salt dome.
On Tuesday, we noticed a building leaning next to the sinkhole. A couple days ago, it was stable. That’s why the people who live on this land say they’ve pointed giant lights at a field around it. If the building collapses, they’ll be leaving quickly.
For many people, this is a bad case of déjà vu.
The sinkhole is just a few blocks down the road from Hull-Daisetta High School.
“It’s just been kind of a pond, a big pond,” Daisetta resident Ronita said.
That big pond in this small town put it in national headlines in 2008.
Ronita and her husband, Paul, who live by that water, remember it easily.
Seemingly overnight, the ground near what was the DeLoach Oil and Gas Waste Well began to crack and collapse.
“We were able to see on TV the round circles,” Ronita said. “Then it all caved in and then the edges started going until we have what we have today.”
It went from a hole several feet across to a crater that was 900 feet in diameter. It swallowed buildings, vehicles and trees.
Some people, like Tabitha King, even moved.
“We live on a big salt dome, where I live, so my husband‘s not going to take the chance,” she said.
At the time, we spoke to expert Dr. Carl Norman about what was happening.
“The size of a cavern that collapsed is going to be the size of this hole or larger,” he said back then, looking over the sinkhole.
Eventually the giant sinkhole did stop growing.
“People have relaxed a little bit lately. I mean, you see them fishing or whatever,” Ronita said.
But this past Sunday, it started again. Structures on this old property began tilting. Water is now spreading and nearby residents are once again paying attention.
“A lot of concern, but it’s been standing still for 15 years and now this one,” Paul said.
Off camera, the Liberty County fire marshal said the sinkhole has grown more than 150 feet in diameter over the past few days. He also said there are still chemicals in white containers near the sinkhole, but they’re not sure what’s in them.
Regardless, they plan to empty them as soon as possible.
A geologist is on site, along with the TECQ, the Office of Emergency Management and other officials.
But just like in 2008, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.
“We just have a lot of faith in God to and know that he’s going to take care of us, even if we have to make changes,” Rosita said.
So far, there are no evacuation orders for nearby residents, but that could change, so anyone in the area should make sure they’re paying attention.
Environmental Protection Agency statement
"The EPA is on site with the TCEQ, Texas Department of Transportation and the local fire marshal performing a joint assessment of the site. At this time, we are establishing a plan to conduct sampling and hazardous categorization and we are communicating with residents within the affected area."