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BUTTE- A Butte resident is concerned about an expanding sinkhole in her backyard.

Charlene Preston noticed two sink holes in her back yard nearly a year ago. Recently she filled both with dirt, but one has continued to sink.

"Every morning we'd put some in and we'd get up and it would have cracks around the edges," Preston said.

Preston initially thought she had a break in her sewage pumps, but after an inspection by Butte Metro Sewer proved her pumps were intact, Preston was suspicious.

An employee from Public Works visited her home to inspect the damage.

"He broke through it," Preston said, referring to the piled-up dirt inside the sinkhole.

"All of the dirt that had been there fell in. He took the broom handle and he could not reach the bottom of it," Preston said.

They also discovered that the sinkhole was tunneling. This caused Preston to worry she said.

Adjacent to her home on Phillips Street sits an electric substation. On the opposite side of the substation a drainage culvert empties directly along a cement levy that diverts the water into a small field behind Preston's home.

"That wasn't a very good neighbor in my books because my well-being wasn't even considered," Preston said.

There is evidence of a drainage system in this area, but it is not maintained well enough for the water to flow, according to Preston.

Typically the water pools in this area and Preston suspects it's draining beneath her backyard causing the sinkhole.

"It's just something they have to fix," Preston said. "Not because I have a sinkhole, but because it's a safety hazard, it's a health hazard."

We will continue to follow this story and update you as information becomes available.