AUSTIN — Five months after an underground cave was discovered on Cambria Drive, the public can get a glimpse inside of the cavern walls, according to Williamson County.
Engineers conducted 3D mapping of the cave in May, allowing them to capture more accurate measurements of the area and an enhanced view than they would have if they solely used manual measurements, the County said.
“The technology is quite incredible. You can get a view of the cave as if you are standing inside of it and looking around,” said County Engineer Terron Evertson.
CLICK HERE to check out the 3D mapping.
The County adds that the 3D mapping was used in their decision making process to fill the cave with gravel and concrete.
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But the County is only filling the cave under the road, which it owns and must maintain, not under homes, like Robin Gersh's.
"Filling it ourselves would cost a small fortune. It's not worth it," he said. "Nobody's going to do anything about it. So, you gotta accept it."
He lives in one of the three homes that are above the cavern.
Gersh said today's 3D maps are fascinating, however...
"It's not like you've got the Yellowstone next to you," he said.
For Gersh, the cave is a matter of fact. He is not scared his home is unsafe, but he said he would like more information from the County.
"They kind of come along, do things and then inform us later," he said.
County officials said the 3D scanning tool was only able to access the first two chambers of the approximately 200-foot cave due to limited access, prompting them to use environmental consultants to evaluate the portion that was underneath the collapsed cave roof. According to the County, the consultants found a fifth chamber off the cave under Cambria Drive on Wednesday. The new chamber was visually identified as a possible void late Wednesday afternoon when a small portal less than one foot in diameter was discovered, the county said.
According to the map released Friday, the fifth chamber has a irregular shape with a long, narrow crawl space before reaching the upper level of the chamber, which is reportedly has a maximum height of nine feet.
Geologists did not feel that the fifth chamber was related to the void that was discovered during core sampling, the county said.