Whistleblower 9: Agencies deny responsibility after sinkhole forms in neighborhood

FORT MILL, S.C. — As soon as you enter Donna Lierz's backyard, you see the problem.
 
"Everybody I've called says it's not their problem," she said.
 
A 6-foot-deep sinkhole formed around a stormdrain that runs from the street to a creek in her backyard, in the Bridgehampton neighborhood in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
 
It started as a small dent last year, and it has grown into an 8-foot-wide crater. It may still be growing, ready to swallow up her fence in the process.
 
Lierz worries about the people who rent the home from her and about children in the neighborhood.
 
"At best broken bones, at worst they get stuck in the middle of the night and freeze to death," Lierz said.
 
She's been calling Lancaster County, the developer and her homeowners association for weeks now, trying to find out who's responsible for fixing it.
 
She and her neighbors have been frustrated by dead ends.
 
"It seems like everyone we talk to agrees we don't need to do anything as homeowners. But every entity we have spoken with has pointed the finger at someone else, saying it's definitely a problem, but it's not our problem," said Harriet Ollman.
 
Channel 9 spoke to the former developer, who said it finished the neighborhood years ago, and typically county stormwater service or the HOA is responsible after.
 
Lierz's says the county claims it's not its responsibility.
                              
A representative for the HOA said the board doesn't think it's responsible either, but it now has an attorney taking a closer look to see if it is.
 
Lierz wonders how much bigger the hole will get.
 
"We really don't know what's down there until they get out here and dig it up," she said.