ATHENS, Ga. — The cause of a ground collapse earlier this month at the Baxter Car Wash that knocked down a wall and consumed an ice machine has been identified, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.
After a series of heavy rains in the area, a section of 48-inch-diameter concrete pipe buried 15 feet underground failed, resulting in a large hole, 15 by 18 feet in size, at the carwash, stated the article.
County crew members probing pipes in the area discovered the failed section days after the collapse, reported the article.
The county was able to determine that the infrastructure was installed around 1971, or possibly earlier, added the article.
Kevin Gentry, streets and drainage superintendent with the Athens-Clarke County Transportation & Public Works Department, reported in the article that country officials met with the property owners earlier this week.
“The end of the carwash where the wall collapsed is supported by a steel beam resting atop two pillars of stacked wood,” noted the article. “The ice machine has been removed from the hole and access to half of the carwash’s bays is blocked by strands of yellow and red tape.”
You can find the article here.