PINEHURST, Texas – A Montgomery County family says the ground in their backyard has been sinking for weeks and despite multiple calls for help, they say no one has stepped in to determine what’s causing the problem.
Chris Benton, who rents a home in a gated neighborhood in Pinehurst, said the issue appeared suddenly over Valentine’s Day weekend.
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“It showed up overnight,” Benton said. “It wasn’t something we could miss because the fence is coming down and everything.”
Since then, Benton said a portion of the backyard has continued to sink, with landscaping in the area disappearing into the ground.
“The flowerbeds have collapsed into the hole,” Benton said. “You can’t even see them anymore.”
Benton said he and his family are worried about what could be happening beneath the surface and whether the problem could eventually affect their home.
“It could just be a three-foot hole that a pipe was laid in,” Benton said. “It could be a lot worse than that. There could be erosion water that has caused a massive hole under there.”
The family has spent weeks trying to get answers.
“We’ve called everybody: the gas company, the water company,” Benton said. “Everybody that comes out says it’s not our problem.”
Benton said representatives from the water company Quadvest and energy provider CenterPoint Energy have visited the property. He also said the neighborhood HOA indicated someone had stopped by.
Still, Benton said no one has taken responsibility for investigating the cause.
“Nobody wants to fix it,” Benton said. “Nobody wants to do anything about it.”
The family even called a plumber, but Benton said they declined to get involved.
“He looked at it and just went, ‘Yeah, I don’t want to touch that,’” Benton said. “Most contractors aren’t going to want to touch that.”
Benton believes the issue could be tied to nearby infrastructure. He said there is a manhole in the backyard and a storm drain labeled “city storm drain” near the street. He also pointed to a utility easement that runs between two neighborhoods.
KPRC 2 News reached out to several entities to determine who may be responsible.
A spokesperson for Quadvest said the company inspected the area and determined its systems are not involved.
“Our operations team was onsite earlier today,” the company said in a statement to KPRC 2 News. “The issue appears to be related to the neighborhood’s storm drainage system, which is separate from Quadvest’s water and wastewater infrastructure. Based on our inspection, Quadvest’s systems in the area are operating normally and are not contributing to the condition observed at the property.”
KPRC 2 News also contacted Montgomery County Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley’s office. A spokesperson said the location is within Precinct 2 but is inside a gated community and therefore not maintained by the county.
Because of that, officials said responsibility for inspections would likely fall to the neighborhood’s homeowners association.
CKM Property Management, which manages the property for the HOA, sent KPRC 2 News a statement minutes before air saying they will inspect the area, “the Association is coordinating with appropriate parties to determine the source of the issue.”
Meanwhile, Benton said the hole appears to be getting worse, raising concerns about potential safety risks.
“It’s getting deeper,” he said.
The family also worries the damage could eventually impact the home’s foundation.
“That could cause foundation issues. We’d have to go find a place to stay,” Benton said. “I’ve got kids.”
For now, the family says they’re hoping someone will step in soon to determine what’s happening beneath their backyard.
“It was going from just frustration to frustration and danger possibly,” Benton said. “It’s something we definitely want to get taken care of sooner rather than later.”
The Homeowners Association released the following statement:
“The Association was recently made aware of a drainage concern near the property and is currently gathering information to better understand the situation. Because the area may involve privately owned property and underground infrastructure, the Association is coordinating with appropriate parties to determine the source of the issue.”