Dickey Stephens Ball Park in Little Rock, Ark., is home to the AA minor league Arkansas Travelers, an Anaheim Angels farm team. A combination of recent flooding in the area and the park's unprotected drainage system led to the creation of multiple sinkholes around the field. The sinkhole in the outfield was of significant size, measuring 35 ft. in diameter. The ballpark is located in close proximity to the Arkansas River and positioned below street level, a factor that contributed to the collection of an abnormal amount of ground water underneath.
The French drainage system installed underneath the field was designed to drain and redirect water out from beneath the field. However, soil, silt and sand were also being washed into the drainage system and removed from underneath the field, leaving large voids that ultimately created the sinkholes. This recurring problem over a seven-year timeframe finally necessitated repair.
The city tapped into allocated funds to begin restoration of the drain system and repair of the sinkholes. The project involved installing new pipes, new aggregate, and a high strength geotextile fabric wrapped around the pipes that would keep soil out of the new drain system and eliminate problems of the past.
