By Dustin Shipman
dshipman@joplinglobe.com
If one has the bad luck to find part of his or her back yard disappearing into a sinkhole, one should hope for the good luck that it is related to the Joplin area’s mining history.
If the latter turns out to be, then the state is authorized to spend federal funds to hire a contractor to fix the problem.
For Carrol and Jean Allgood, the good fortune likely will balance out the bad.
Officials from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on Friday were at the Allgood home at 318 S. Forest Ave. in Joplin investigating a large hole that had converted an above-ground swimming pool into an in-ground pool.
The officials say there are indications that the hole was created by the collapse of a former mine shaft.
“When we first got the call, we looked at historic mining maps and old topographical maps,” said Mitch Roberts, an environmental specialist for DNR.
“When you are looking into it,” he said, “you can see chat, which is old waste material from lead and zinc mining. So seeing that and what we saw on the maps, we believe that it is mining related.”
Jean Allgood discovered the hole forming on Tuesday.
“It seems like it has grown since then,” Carrol Allgood said.
More tests still need to be performed, but Roberts said authorities are relatively confident that the hole was created by a shaft.
“From what we saw on the mining maps, this was an isolated location and likely a shaft opening,” Roberts said. “If we find out that it is in fact mining related, then we are allowed to use federal funds to hire contractors to fix the problem through plugs or backfilling, depending on the instance.”
Neil Elfrink, a geologist with the DNR, said his research of old mining maps suggests it was a zinc-mine shaft that belonged to the Cora Lotta Mining Co.
Richard O’Dell, an environmental specialist with the DNR, said Southwest Missouri, especially Joplin and Webb City, are known for sinkholes related to the former lead and zinc mining activity.
“We fix these types of holes, but they have to be mining related and they have to be a safety issue,” O’Dell said. “Just because people have a hole doesn’t mean it is a problem that we deal with; this one appears to be actively moving and potentially dangerous.”
