In July 2018, the small town of Oxford, N.S., became synonymous with something besides wild blueberries: a sinkhole.
At the time, the gaping hole outside the Oxford Area Lions Club off Main Street grew to over 40 metres in diameter. It swallowed trees, picnic tables and part of a parking lot – 15 metres away from the community centre. It also raised safety concerns, sparked national headlines, and drew onlookers.
Seven years later, on the surface, there appears to be no sign of it.
“No issues. We keep an eye on it, just for the heck of it,” said developer Mervil Rushton. “And every once in a while we’ll go out and check it. And nothing has moved since we filled it in.”
Filling a sinkhole
Rushton purchased the 5.5-acre property by Salt Lake from the local Lions Club in November 2020 for $10,000. It took him four days, 750 truckloads, and $30,000 to fill the infamous void. Rushton says the town donated 125 loads of fill while Oxford Frozen Foods gave concrete pads.
“I checked around to see what it would take,” he explains. “I called engineers down in Florida to find out what a sinkhole was really like. And they said in all the years they’ve kept records they never open in the same spot. Not saying it won’t open 500 feet over, or a hundred feet over, but in that same spot? It won’t open. So that’s why I decided to fill the hole in, and move in.”
'High risk' for sinkhole development: geologist
Since the land is now privately-owned, the province isn’t actively monitoring the site and can’t comment on private land matters. However, online maps show the area is within a zone of high risk for “karst” – conditions that could cause future sinkholes.
“Those bedrock types are soluble when they interact with water over a long period of time,” explains provincial geologist Amy Tizzard. “Those rock types would include gypsum, salt, anhydrite, and limestone. About five per cent of the province is underlaid by those types of rocks.”
In a statement, the Department of Natural Resources says those ground collapses can occur spontaneously, but there’s no way of predicting exactly when. Tizzard says filling any sinkhole is “taking a risk.”
“Unfortunately, just filling it in doesn’t change the underlying geological conditions that created it in the first place,” adds Tizzard. “These ground collapses can still occur spontaneously if you’re in one of those high-risk zones.”
Home and work
Since filling the sinkhole in 2020, Rushton says the ground on Lions Parkland has held. Rushton’s company is in the business of moving homes. He originally planned on moving the Lions Club building itself but decided to move in instead. Sitting on top of the old sinkhole now is his big-rig equipment and homes in the process of being relocated.
The former Lions Club is now a 36-foot-wide, and 80-foot-long home, where Rushton lives with his family. While finishing touches on the renovation are still underway, it contains four bathrooms, three bedrooms and an office.
“They thought I was crazy when I bought it, which they were, right?” he laughs. “But most people, I think overall, they’re happy.”
While Rushton didn’t doubt whether the property could be used again, not everyone in the community of 1,200 shared the same sentiment around the sediment.
“There were doubts that it could be filled in properly,” explains Mark Rushton, who grew up and lives in Oxford. “When we found out that Mervil had purchased the property, I think a lot of us said, ‘Well, he’s probably the only person around with the sense of how to deal with a project of that size.’”
Mark Rushton was at the Lions Club park with his family in 2018 when the sinkhole opened up.
“There was a sound of a ‘whoosh’ is the best way I can describe it,” he explains. “I followed the source of the sound and found a big hole with the water just roaring through the bottom, about eight feet down.”
It continued to grow while Mark Rushton notified the Lions Club and emergency officials. An EMO team, as well as staff with the Department of Energy and Natural Resources, were brought in. The Town of Oxford also commissioned a geotechnical study.
DNR says it continues to study sinkholes in the area to better understand and refine the risks associated with karst topography.
“The more that we can study them, and understand it, then hopefully we can better refine those risk zones,” says Tizzard.
Future plans
While renovations around the home continue, Mervil Rushton is open to selling the property, saying he’d prefer to be further “out in the country.”
“I had one offer on it. I’ll put it up for sale. It would make a beautiful restaurant. We got the Skidoo Trail right besides us,” adds Mervil. “If someone comes along, I’d certainly talk to them. There’s no set dates for anything.”
He admits he can’t get insurance to cover the property, and didn’t get permits before filling the sinkhole in. Liability concerns also mean it can’t be used as a community centre again, but a new community space is being built down the road near the site of the old Oxford Regional High School.
“This is our main entrance to the community. We look at this place every time we come in, and I think we all thought what a shame it was that we lost that resource [Lions Club],” adds Mark Rushton. “It’s wonderful that Mervil was able to take on and do something with it for himself, but you can’t get past that loss to the community. Even with the new facility coming in, which is going to be apparently a wonderful structure, and really significant for our community, it’s something that was lost.”
Meanwhile, Oxford Mayor Greg Henley says the town is now looking toward the future.
“There’s so much growth going on that that’s probably what we’re more focused on,” Henley tells CTV Atlantic, reflecting on the event. “Hopefully, we don’t ever see a sinkhole again, and it becomes a distant memory.”
