So you can be the subject of a later poster's PO rant? :)

You'd have to disclose it if you did that. If you remedy it properly, you won't. Remove the junk and dispose of it, and have the void properly filled and compacted.

OK, wise guy. So who do I hire to remove it? Ive been calling around incl some billing themselves as junk removers and no one will touch it with a ten foot pole. Its not safe to physically go down there - Id be swallowed up by trash and never heard from again.

I think someone would probably have to come with back hoe and remove at least the top brick portion -its prob about 10 feet wide tapering to a 2 foot opening on top. Which may or may not be possible because compounding the issue is that there was a huge maple right next to it that has enormous roots wrapped around part of it. Too bad theres all the crap in it - some people restore theirs and install a pump to use for water to water the yard or connect it to the basement for a wine cellar.

Of course I would disclose it if I left it - Im a firm believer in karma and what goes around comes around. I would guess Id probably lose more $$$ if I left it for the next person to do vs. me do it myself.- but how much, that is the question. Might be worth it in terms of less disruption to the yard. Thanks!

If you do not want to restore your cistern but rather make the area safe, maybe someone that fills in swimming pools would be able to help you? You could call your local pool company or landscaper and ask who fills in pools in your area.

it has been pretty common I places I have lived to find old cisterns, wells, outhouses and foundations full of junk. Lots of times the stuff filling them is household waste such as glass, furniture, wash basins and jugs, tin cans, etc etc. More common than not in the days when these places were first being closed up to try to fill the empty space with whatever was handy. That would keep children from playing in them or anybody falling in would be able to get out. yes, get somebody to fill it the rest of the way and don't worry about it. There are hundreds of thousands of these sites around the country and some of the earliest are being excavated for historical data. Unless you know there is something toxic down there it is probably safe just to fill it in. Check with local authorities though, sometimes mine shafts, cisterns and wells are government regulated and have to be closed to certain specifications. One town I lived in required a cement cap to cover the infill, for example. best wishes