The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is facing another long summer of moderate to severe drought conditions. But, there is another environmental issue that is very common in the area and is also possibly threatening your home’s foundation if you live in the area.
There are two fault lines in the region. Between the fault lines is a geological formation called the Balcones Fault Zone. The Balcones Fault Zone runs from northern Mexico northeastward through San Antonio and Austin and up between Dallas and Fort Worth. On the west side of the Balcones Fault Zone is the Ouachita Tectonic Front (a fault line). The eastern edge of the Balcones Fault Zone is the Balcones fault line.
Fault lines are natural locations for earthquakes to occur. In 2009, there were 17 minor earthquakes (measuring less than 3.0 on the Richter Scale) in the Metroplex region. The frequency seems to be increasing. In June 2012 alone there were six earthquakes! One earthquake caused more than $100,000 damage to the Boy Scout Museum in Irving, Texas. A minor earthquake is very capable of causing structural damage in your home—broken windows, downed fences, cracks in walls and ceilings.
Then, there’s the Barnett Shale that runs underneath Fort Worth. Underneath the shale is thought to be the largest natural gas reservoir in the country. But to get to the gas there is a lot of drilling and hydraulic fracturing (breaking the rock with high pressure water, sand and chemicals to access the natural gas). This water has to be collected from a large source, usually groundwater or surface water. The water then has to be disposed elsewhere because it’s contaminated by the chemicals. That means that the water used in hydraulic fracturing is being removed from already extremely dry soil throughout the area. Drought and drilling impact the soil’s moisture content.
Droughts. Drilling. Faults. All this shaking and shifting increases the chance that area homes will need foundation repairs. If any of these happen you probably need to have your foundation inspected.
Dawson Foundation Repair is experienced with foundation repairs in the Metroplex caused by shifting soil underground. Dawson uses the best possible method to repair your foundation and it’s a solution that can resist further damage by these prolonged environmental stresses. The bell bottom piers foundation repair method is the most trusted and permanent house leveling solution for the Metroplex area.
Pressed pilings, steel pilings and cable pilings cannot withstand lateral soil shifting as well as bell bottom piers can in soils like the clay underneath your home. Pushed pilings are stacked, one upon another, and do not act as a single unit. Therefore, if heaving and shifting soil misaligns one or two of the concrete pilings that are stacked one upon another, the entire integrity of the column could be compromised. But the bell bottom piers are single pieces of solid concrete that are reinforced with steel rebar that not only support your foundation but firmly resist the shifting soil conditions.