At least 10 homes in the Brushy Creek neighborhood of Williamson County are without water service after a 20-foot sinkhole opened up Thursday morning revealing a cave.
According to a tweet from the sheriff's office, the sinkhole is located in the 8400 block of Cambria Drive, just north of Highway 45 and two miles south of Brushy Creek. The block was closed and officials said it will remain so for several weeks during the remediation effort.
Traffic was diverted around the area while crews investigated.
Municipal Utility District officials said the hole was caused by the roof of a cave that collapsed on top of a water line.
At 3 a.m., some homeowners called the Municipal Utility District to complain about low water pressure, while others said they had no water at all, which was what prompted the discovery of the cave. By 2:50 p.m. Thursday, the Brushy Creek MUD reported that all 10 homes remained without water but said they hoped service would return by end of day.
Officials said the sinkhole is one of the biggest they've ever seen.
"Usually, they're fairly narrow," said General Manager for Brushy Creek MUD Mike Petter. "You almost have to crawl on your belly to get through them. But this one's large. It looks like you could have walked around in it before it collapsed."
Currently, a construction company is working to restore water service. An environmentalist is also at the scene to assess the damage. Williamson County is working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to determine the best solution to repair the neighborhood where the cave was revealed.
County officials said hydrogeologists were on site Thursday to map the cave. Structural engineers will examine the karst feature Friday to determine steps forward for repairs.
It is still unknown exactly what caused the opening, however, officials said the initial examination shows that the limestone bed that forms the cave's ceiling is scored and thinner where the utility lines were installed, and the cave ceiling seems to be more stable outside of that area.