I have attached an image of the "well" (for lack of a better description) in my pool house. I have asked three different pool companies what it is and none of them knew - so it must be a plumbing thing.
We moved into this house 5 years ago. The well has never overflowed until this year. (Like much of the country we are really soggy.) I have hung a pump over the well to keep it from overflowing. (I pumped all the water out first - and it just fills right back up.)
We were afraid if we just let it overflow and sit it might damage the concrete foundation of the pool house. Also it doesn't continue rising to flood the entire yard - it stops at a certain point.
We shut the water off at the meter by the street with the well pumped out and the water did not fill the well back up - so it is definitely the city water.
We are not having any problems with the running water or water pressure anywhere in the house or outside.
Our water bill last month was $198 and this month it is $245!
Someone please tell me what this thing is and it's purpose and how to fix it so I don't have to take out a loan to pay the water bill.
Thanks in advance,
Lou

Is there anything in it? Or does it just look like a bucket sunk into the ground, with some holes or slots in it?

In the first case, if you see some fixture(s) down in there (when the water is gone), it could be a water meter. These are often brass-colored, but can also be dirty and dark so that it's hard to tell. But since you say you shut the city water off at the meter, this seems very unlikely. It could be another meter for the pool, or maybe just a large-bore connection to the water main for filling the pool. In that case maybe you'll see a valve and some piping, maybe connecting to the pool systems.

If it's just an empty bucket (how far down does it go?), then it's what's known as a sump... as in "sump pump". It's supposed to be the place where you can put a float-switched pump to get water out of your basement, or wherever. Water is supposed to seep in through the holes, and fill it up until the pump comes on.

In any case, what you've described is a leak in the main water supply line, between your pool house and the main water meter. If you shut off the meter and the water stopped that pretty much sums it up right there. If you're lucky, the leak will be in the fitting or valve or whatever that's at the bottom of the bucket/sump/well. If not, you'll have to dig up the line back to the water meter... not cool given the slab for your poolhouse is over the first part. But from the way you describe it, sounds like the leak is either in the sump or very near it.

Good luck!
~aaron

Ps: I'm NOT a plumber, so... consider the source!

Well actually at this point, don't get me wrong, who cares what it is, it is merely catching the water from a broken water pipe, So you need to shut off various pipes ( assuming you have various shut offs) and find what section of your plumbing is leaking. If this is around your pool pumps then it most likely is a broken pipe on the pool filling line.

If you have a pool line shut off, shut it off and see if you still have water running though at the meter. Also a plumber can often find underground leaks using sound listening equpment.

Depending on how deep this "hole" is, may say what it is,