When the Fairfield Soil and Water Conservation District was formed over 75 years ago, its main purpose was to provide assistance and information to the county’s large agricultural community. In the decades since, just as land use in central Ohio has been constantly changing, so too have the demographics of landowners who reach out to our office for support.

Agriculture is still the leading economic force in Fairfield County, but as urban expansion and rural development have begun converting crop and pasture fields into residential homesites, we find that many of the issues farmers have spent generations dealing with are now affecting new homeowners who may have little prior experience identifying and correcting. Two of the most common, animal burrows and tile blowouts, may look very similar at first glance, but require quite different management methods to fix the problem.

In much of the glaciated region of Ohio, subsurface drainage has long been used in agricultural settings to aid in removing excess moisture from the soil and improve productivity of farm fields. Commonly referred to as field tile, we regularly see this being installed in present times via large rolls of corrugated plastic pipe typically in 4-inch to 6-inch diameter sizes. Years ago, however, these underground systems were constructed of short sections of clay tile laid piece by piece into an open trench, and nested into each other on the ends to create a contiguous flow channel for the water to drain downhill until it tied into a larger tile system or emptied into a stream or other natural body of water.

While some clay field tile systems have lasted for nearly a century, we have long surpassed their projected life expectancy and failures such as joint separation, sections being crushed, or simple degradation may lead to the formation of what is often termed a field tile blowout, sinkhole, or blow hole. As gaps in the tile are created, the soil around the failed section becomes saturated and liquified by the escaping water. This soil is then picked up and carried down the tile system creating a void which eventually causes the soil above it to collapse and repeat the cycle. These blowouts resemble a funnel-shaped crater in the ground and usually have a section of exposed tile in the center of the bottom. Depending on the tile size, and length of time the problem has existed, I have seen sinkholes six or more feet in diameter at ground level, tapering down to the original point of failure.

Animal burrows can also be represented by a large hole in the ground but have a distinctive look that separates them from tile blowouts. In central and eastern Ohio, our most common large, burrowing mammal is the groundhog, or woodchuck if you enjoy using its tongue-twisting moniker. In western regions of the state, you may encounter an occasional badger den, but these are far less frequent. The subterranean homes of these critters are most easily separated from sinkholes by the obvious pile of excavated soil spread around the burrow entrance. Groundhogs and badgers are prolific diggers, but unlike a tile system failure that carries the soil away, these animals bring all their spoils to the surface to distribute. Their tunnels also tend to enter the ground at a sloping angle, rather than perfectly vertical with the removed dirt strewn in a fan-shaped pile on the uphill side of the entrance.

If you’re a homeowner and experiencing one of these obstacles on your property, properly identifying it is the most crucial part of getting it fixed as the corrective methods are considerably different. Tile blowouts, while labor-intensive, are typically a straightforward fix of replacing the failed section of tile and filling the hole back in with a proper soil mixture. The often-used method of simply filling the hole in with rocks, chunks of sidewalk, old cars, or the kitchen sink may seem like an easy way to get rid of some junk lying around, but will not actually solve your problem, so please don’t do it. Animal burrows require trapping or otherwise removing the individual or group responsible for doing the digging before filling the tunnel back in. There are various removal tactics that can be employed, and the best technique is often decided on a case-by-case basis.

Regardless of the cause, if you need assistance in dealing with a blowout or burrow, feel free to contact one of us at the Fairfield Soil and Water Conservation District to discuss your options.

Tommy Springer is the wildlife and education specialist for the Fairfield Soil and Water Conservation District. He can be reached at 740-653-8154 or at Tommy.Springer@fairfieldswcd.org