Sinkhole not a city issue

Photo: Bill Everitt

UPDATE FEB. 10, 10 A.M.

It would appear a mysterious sinkhole behind the Bernard Arms apartments on Bernard Avenue is a private property issue and not a city matter.

Photo: Bill Everitt - Castanet

City crews were called in after the hole, measure approximately six by nine feet and about 10 feet in depth was discovered Monday.

"They discovered it was on private property and it was an old septic tank that had collapsed and was abandoned back in the day," says Transportation Services Manager, Darryl Astofooroff.

"Back then they were more like an old wooden box with a lid on it that had collapsed."

He says crews returned Tuesday to have a second look to ensure it wasn't a water leak and was in fact an old septic tank.

A sinkhole opened up behind a Kelowna apartment building, Monday.

RCMP responding to an unrelated matter at the Bernard Arms apartments discovered the hole, which measures approximately six by nine feet and about 10 feet in depth.

The hole is located on private property off the alley near Bernard Avenue and Richter Street in downtown Kelowna. It is in the designated parking area for residents of the building. No cars were there Monday afternoon, but the hole's appearance could have created a dangerous situation if a vehicle had been parked above it.

Police at the scene said they were unable to reach the building's owner, and bylaw officers are not working today because of the Family Day holiday, so they cordoned off the area with police tape for safety until the sink hole can be dealt with.

The hole appears to lead down to an underground box or room, a wooden chamber which at some point may have housed water or sewer connections, police speculated.