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© WPTZ/Alison CareyA sinkhole opened up in the backyard of a Schuyler Falls property. Highway departments from Plattsburgh and Schuyler Falls teamed up to bring the resident enough sand to fill the sinkhole
Dennis Trost and his wife discovered a sinkhole last week in the backyard of their Schuyler Falls home.

"Well, it's scary when you hear all the stories. Then it happens to you and you don't know what the heck's going to happen," said Trost.

Since finding the sinkhole, Trost said the gaping hole has only grown. When the Highway Department officials arrived the hole was about 5 feet deep.

"We came running out and there was no dirt around but this big hole was here, so we kind of backed off and looked inside it because it was undermine quite a bit," said Trost.

Schuyler Falls Highway Department Superintendent John Rock said sinkholes are rare for the North Country, and it's often difficult to determine the cause.

"[Trost] said he's been here 20-something years and it wasn't filled in, so it must be an underground spring or something," said Rock.

Rock said another possibility is that there used to be a rotting tree in the spot which created an underground hole.

It's typically not the responsibility of a town highway department to fix a sinkhole on private property, but in this case the towns of Schuyler Falls and Plattsburgh teamed up to provide some sand for the homeowner.

"We'll bring some fill for him to put in the hole. See if it'll stay there and keep an eye on it and see if it goes down more," said Rock.

Trost said he was afraid the repairs would be costly and he's grateful for the help.

"I've seen it on TV where houses disappear in sinkholes and all of a sudden we've got one. The house is paid for and we can't afford to buy another one," said Trost.