Sinkhole drains pond in Woodland Villages

OCALA – A body of water seen for years by hundreds of residents living in Woodland Villages, as well as motorists, joggers, walkers and admirers, is no more. An apparent sinkhole has swallowed the once-vibrant pond that sits at the intersection of Southeast 17th Street and 25th Avenue.
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    Sinkhole Drains Woodland Villages' Pond

Around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wes Herren, property manager for the Woodland Villages Association, told the Star-Banner he noticed something seemed different with the pond, which has a fountain in the middle that sprays water into the air.

A few hours later, Herren said his phone was bombarded with calls from people – residents and passersby alike. By 4:30 p.m., Herren said, the pond “was essentially gone.”

“I just watched it going down and down,” he said, adding they called engineers, area contractors and the city's Public Works Department, seeking advice on what they could do to keep the pond from draining.

Shortly before nightfall, and after numerous phone calls placed to Ocala Police Department and the county's dispatch center, there was no more water, and all that remained were globs of mud and floundering fish.

Herren estimates the body of water at about five acres, and he said it was roughly eight feet deep in some places. The sinkhole, which apparently sucked in the water, is situated more to the clubhouse side and was about 15 feet across.

Herren said the clubhouse, swimming pool and tennis court area are off limits for safety purposes.

Constance Quigley, who has lived at Woodland Villages for five years, said Wednesday that she has noticed a change in the water levels off and on since March. She thought it might have been because of the heat.

However, more recently, she said the water levels had gone down “quite a bit.”

Around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Quigley said, the fountain, which normally shoots about 20 feet of water in the air, was pushing up only about a foot of water.

By 4 p.m., the water had gone below the pond's rocks. By 7 p.m., there was water only in patches.

The hole had opened and sucked down the water.

“You see the water churning in there,” she said pointing toward the apparent sinkhole as several birds stood or flew around the former body of water. Quigley estimated the hole at about 25 feet across. Its depth is unknown.

Herren said the insurer told them to secure the whole area, especially the city access. Engineers have been called, and, in the next day or so, they'll advise the association on the next step.

It's not the first time an apparent sinkhole has drained the water from the pond.

In 1996, Herren said, he was told a similar incident occurred, and at that time the sinkhole was more toward the roadway. He said there was also an incident in 2003.

Woodland Villages is home to some 700 residents who live in estate homes, condominiums, town homes; manor homes and patio homes. Woodland Villages has existed since 1984, the same amount of time the body of water has been in existence, Herren said. Ocala