This seems abnormal [Updated]

"MM54" (mm54mk2) 04/15/2019 at 17:50 • Filed to: THERE IS WATER UNDERGROUND AND ALSO ABOVE GROUND

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I noticed this when taking the trash out to the curb this evening...

There is water coming out of my front yard. I have a well so it isn’t a line to my house. The neighbor does too, so it’s not his line either (would be in a dumb spot if it was). There is nothing nearby which has any business being plumbed. It’s far enough from the street (under which is the water main) that I really doubt it’s from the main, though if it’s still at it in the morning I’ll probably call the city for them to investigate the possibility. The water is clean and doesn’t smell like sewer (also isn’t near the hookups). Nobody around here has sprinkler systems.

In the way that you do, I stuck my hand in the mysterious water source and it’s coming from a hole about 1" across which I’m pretty sure didn’t used to be there. Being near the ditch I’m kind of hoping there’s a long-forgotten drain tile from my perpetually-swampy backyard-corner but I doubt it.

Mysterious.

Update ~6pm Monday :

This morning when I left for work I looked and it had stopped (was no standing or flowing water in the ditch); when I got home I looked and can’t find any evidence of a hole or anything of the sort, just mud and grass as I’d expect to find. Weird. Should have jammed a stick in the ground or something to mark where it was.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > MM54 04/14/2019 at 21:48

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Infinite water source, not bad

MM54 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/14/2019 at 21:53

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My well is in the back though , however back there is currently 66% underwater so it’s got enough too. It rained a lot today.

66P1800inpieces > MM54 04/14/2019 at 22:35

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What’s your water table like? Maybe a chipmunk tunnel?

MM54 > 66P1800inpieces 04/14/2019 at 23:08

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As much as it rained today I wouldn’t be surprised if a chipmunk tunnel from the back yard up to here was draining things. As for the water table, my well is less than 100' deep and I’m pretty sure if I dug a hole in the corner of my yard it would fill with water.

TheRealBicycleBuck > MM54 04/15/2019 at 00:00

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It could be a sand boil. That’s something we have to watch out for when the Mississippi River is high. The additional surface water pressure forces water through the ground and if it hits a sand lens, it can travel through like an underground stream. If not restricted at the exit point, it will carry sand out of the lens and create a sinkhole somewhere.

The same process happens with water line breaks or when water circumvents drainage systems.

This could be a very bad situation. Call the city and have them investigate ASAP!

MM54 > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/15/2019 at 17:50

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As of this morning it’s stopped and I can’t find any evidence of where the water was coming up from.

TheRealBicycleBuck > MM54 04/15/2019 at 18:17

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I would still call. The hole may be covered by grass or it may have flow-filled with sand. Poke around with a broomstick until you find it.