'I've Done Everything I Know How To Do': Broken Arrow Man Frustrated With Sinkholes In Backyard

A man in Broken Arrow says he's frustrated by sinkholes that keep developing in his backyard.

He says he's spent years and thousands of dollars dealing with this problem and wants to get it fixed.

Brian Abel's backyard was supposed to be a place he can enjoy and relax.

"It does put a damper on it because being on a green belt is a real blessing," he said.

Brian's family moved into the house near Olive and Houston in Broken Arrow in 2010, but in 2016 they started to notice some problems with the backyard when sinkholes began to develop.

"The biggest one was about four feet across I would guess, it was actually sinking in, depending on when you went and looked, after it rained, you could actually look down, six or eight feet, easily," he said.

He called a construction company in 2019 that came out to fix the issues.

He says he was told the retaining wall in the back was in good shape, and they helped to resod the yard.

"Everything looked great for about nine months, and then I noticed that the earth was starting to sink again," he said.

Brian says he's called the city to see if someone could see if there was a water leak, and there wasn't.

He asked about leaks in the sewer line and a nearby storm drain, but leaks weren't found there either.

He says his backyard is an easement for the utilities in the neighborhood, and he's worried about gas lines being exposed in his backyard and causing a leak.

He says he's called Oklahoma Natural Gas for help, but hasn't gotten an answer.

"If the pipe sagged or my meter sagged enough to actually cause a leak, that would be hazardous, I thought I don't want to blow up the neighborhood, let alone my own house," he said.

He says the foundation of his house has started to tilt and he wants to replace his fence, but not if it will just keep slipping.

He feels like he's done all he can do, and just wants some help.

"It's frustrating because I've done everything I know how to do, I've talked to engineers, civil engineers, I've talked to all kinds of people, city, county, state, federal level, and nobody seems really concerned about it," he said.

Oklahoma Natural Gas did respond to our call and said they will be sending a representative to Brian's house and will work directly with him.