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Giant gopher, or Possibly Sandworm, Burrows Through Emporia lawn
It's really amazing how much damage four men and a backhoe can do in a day, even if that's not their intent.
We had expected that the new sewer line would be put in by Ditch Witch, but no, it was so deep (7-9 feet) that a man had to fit fully down in the trench, which meant a full-size backhoe had to maneuver in our back yard. The clay -- and our subsoil is nothing but 100% clay -- was piled all over the yard and sidewalk, and then the rain started, and now there is slippery, sticky mud on everything.
The backhoe driver was very skillful and did what he could to get the clay piled back on top of the trench, but it is piled there, about 2 feet high. The plumber said if we put a soaker hose on it, it should go down pretty quickly, but he cautioned against removing any of the soil because it is sure to settle.
Oh, and because the new pipe has two extra bends in it that the old one didn't have, and only 5 inches of rise to make the sewage flow, the plumber is so sure we will get clogs in the line that he put a 3' high "cleanout" at each bend, right next to the back steps. Very scenic. We'll have to plant a bush or something.
*But* the good news is that the new pipe is in place now. Tomorrow they'll return to hook it up, fill in the hole under the back porch, and plug the floor drain in the garage (which goes to the old pipe). God willing, we won't have to have the back yard torn up again anytime soon!
I can't wait to see the bill.
Comments
mulch the burrow?
Mom wrote,
That is one impressive gopher! No wonder you're recruiting neighborhood kids to dance along the burrow in hopes of battening it down.
While this line of clay is loose, does it make sense to work some organic material into it? It probably is mostly sterile subsoil, lotsa minerals but no humus. I wonder what it would take to sheetcompost a layer of leaves over it (and keep it on)? Are earthworms active in the winter?
Worms and other decomposers are active as long as they're warm; that's why the sheet mulch in the front yard is a foot deep and the compost heap is 4' across, to try to build up enough heat. Jessie and I talked about trying to keep some mulch on top of the mound, but we decided to wait and see how it settles... especially since we're having more construction done in a few weeks! No sense doing anything in the back yard before the heavy machinery is done!
In the spring, I'll need to pull all the mulch off the front beds so they can warm in the sun, and I'll need somewhere to put it, so my plan is to cordon off an area in the back yard first thing, and move the undigested mulch from the front to the back to continue working its magic. Of course that means I'll need fresh mulch for the front once it warms up, but the neighbors would probably prefer that anyhow! :-)