Jonesville Sinkhole
© Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun

A sinkhole has opened up in a field near Newberry Road in Jonesville.

A large sinkhole has opened up near the Campus USA Credit Union near Newberry Road in Jonesville, although Alachua County Environmental Protection Director Chris Bird said he doesn't have much information on the situation yet.

Bird said he heard the sinkhole is located on a private property that may be a farm near the credit union but doesn't know for sure yet.

At this point, he is waiting to get a field report from an EPD employee who has headed out to look into the matter.

Whether or not this sinkhole qualifies as an emergency situation is yet to be determined, Bird told The Sun. If a sinkhole is out in the middle of a field and isn't near people or a building, for example, it isn't really considered as urgent as it would be if it were located in more of a public place.

While he is waiting for more information, Bird did say it isn't unusual to see instances of collapse around this time of year when an area is getting a lot of rain. Sometimes the weight of the rainwater that gets concentrated in certain areas can lead to some kind of ground collapse.

Sometimes collapse can occur within stormwater basins, especially out in the western part of the county, he said.

"The weight of the water is just like finally collapsing," he said.