Gopher Damage to Swimming Pool Surrounds and Decking
Pool surrounds and decking represent some of the most expensive hardscape on a residential property, and gopher tunnel activity beneath them can cause damage that is costly to repair and impossible to address without disrupting the deck surface itself. Understanding how gophers damage pool areas and why prompt treatment is essential helps homeowners protect this investment.
How Gopher Tunnels Undermine Pool Decking
Pool decking — whether concrete, pavers, or other materials — sits on a compacted soil base that provides structural support. When gopher tunnels run beneath this base, they create voids in the supporting soil. Over time, these voids cause the base to shift and settle unevenly. The deck surface above the void loses its uniform support and begins to crack, heave, or sink — the same mechanism by which gophers damage driveways and walkways, but with higher repair costs given pool decking's complexity and finish quality.
Pool coping — the cap material along the pool edge — is particularly vulnerable because it sits at the junction of the pool shell and the surrounding deck. Settlement of the deck relative to the pool shell can crack coping, open joints, and in severe cases compromise the waterproofing at the pool edge. Coping repairs adjacent to the water line require draining or lowering the pool, adding significantly to repair cost and disruption.
The Landscape Buffer Zone
Gophers are plant feeders that establish in landscaped areas rather than in hardscape. The typical pathway to pool deck damage is a gopher that establishes in the planting beds, lawn areas, or garden surrounding the pool and extends its tunnel system beneath the adjacent hardscape as it expands its territory. Gopher activity in the planted areas immediately surrounding your pool area is a warning sign that tunnel expansion toward the deck is possible or already occurring.
Treating gopher activity in the landscape buffer around a pool promptly — before tunnel systems extend beneath the deck — is the most effective approach. A gopher caught while still active in the adjacent planting beds has not yet undermined the deck. A gopher allowed to expand its territory beneath the deck for months has already caused damage that will manifest as cracking and settlement regardless of when treatment occurs.
Detection and Early Warning
The appearance of gopher mounds in lawn or planting areas adjacent to the pool — within 15-20 feet of the deck edge — warrants immediate treatment. Do not wait for mounds to appear on the deck surface itself, because by that point the tunnel system has already extended beneath the hardscape. Cracks appearing in deck sections near planted borders, particularly if they appear suddenly after a period of gopher activity in adjacent areas, indicate tunneling has already begun beneath the deck.
Related Articles
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- How Much Damage Can One Gopher Do?
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — immediately. Mounds near the pool indicate a gopher that may already be tunneling toward the deck or will be soon. Treating before the tunnel system extends beneath the hardscape prevents deck damage entirely.
Gophers cannot damage gunite or fiberglass pool shells directly. Their impact is on the surrounding hardscape and the soil supporting it. However, severe settlement of deck sections adjacent to the pool can stress the coping and the junction between the shell and the deck.
All services include a 60-day guarantee with free retreatment if activity returns within the guarantee period.
Call 909-599-4711 — gopher activity near your pool warrants immediate treatment before tunnels extend beneath the deck.