Zachary Staab
News Editor

A borough meeting to determine the course of action for a newly formed sinkhole under West Charlotte Street in Millersville will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 12. at 7p.m.
On Friday, Nov. 1., construction workers ruptured a sewer line, sending raw sewage into the homes of residents of West Charlotte Street. The saturated earth collapsed on Saturday, Nov. 2., resulting in the creation of a sinkhole.

A crew working on sealing up the sinkhole that opened up this past Friday on West Charlotte Street.
A crew working on sealing up the sinkhole that opened up this past Friday on West Charlotte Street.

One resident, who lives across from the sinkhole on West Charlotte Street, said, “the limestone underneath Millersville make us susceptible to sinkholes.” Much of the bedrock underneath Millersville consists of limestone and dolostone, which dissolve faster than other rocks. The fractures within the rock channel away water, but a sinkhole is created when the water severely erodes the soil around the rocks.
The following is a time line of events for Bill Potts, resident of West Charlotte Street, on Nov. 1., 2013.
1 a.m. – “I woke up hearing hissing sounds on Friday,”said Bill Potts.” Potts also noticed a smell, which he though was the smell of his kids “cooking bad bacon.” Potts, who slept in the basement that night, stepped in about “four inches of brown water” when he arose to investigate the mysterious fumes.

The sinkhole was worked on the following Saturday and closed up.
The sinkhole was worked on the following Saturday and closed up.

1:30 a.m. – Potts called a plumber up the street from his house.
2 a.m. – He called borough police and they came to his house.
2:30 a.m. – The water was shut off and the dirty water in Potts basement began to recede.
“A couple days later members from the borough called me and stopped by the house, but they were a couple days late,” Potts said.
The meeting was originally scheduled for earlier in the week, but residents were notified that the meeting would have to be rescheduled for Nov. 12. “Everything is up in the air right now,” said Potts.
Residents can call Ed Arnold, member of the Borough Council, at 717.872.4654 for further information.