The amount of rain that hit San Diego during last Friday’s storm took officials working at the Mount Soledad landslide by surprise. City Council members okayed $20 million in emergency funds to prepare for more rough weather during Tuesday’s meeting, while their geologist told them of new snags in the road.
In addition to slight movement of the landslide, officials announced the three homes slated for demolition have asbestos, throwing a wrench into the construction timeline. The asbestos can become airborne, and must be abated before the three homes can be razed, which is now scheduled for mid-December, said Patti Boekamp, city engineering and capital projects director.
Water has become more of an issue than officials first thought. Although precautions were taken to preserve forensic evidence the night before the last storm, winterization of the slope hadn’t begun.
“Water is a critical issue,” said Rob Hawk, Geologist, Development Services. “We’re concerned about water getting into the slide but we’re taking precautions so water doesn’t get into the slide.”
Almost finished with the first phase of construction ” installing sheer pins into the slide-plane area ” geologists, engineers and representatives from the city all said that after the last six sheer pins were completed, the next step would be to prepare for any heavy rains by winterizing the slope.
During construction, experts for homeowners and the city began investigating the cause of the slide by digging trenches to uncover the water main. But Friday’s rains put a halt to both construction and the investigation, said Carol Drummond, public information and media relations officer for the City of San Diego.
In order to preserve forensic evidence, Soledad officials stayed at the slope until 10 p.m. Thursday evening, covering vital areas with heavy plastic sheeting. They set up two sets of pumps to drain water out of the hole, and because the rains were heavier than originally predicted, they’ve been checking for movement of the slope, Drummond said.
The first phase of investigation began earlier in the week, an important step for homeowners. Experts began to excavate the water main to determine if it was the reason for the slide, and it is vital that areas already dug remain dry or the evidence could get a faulty reading, Drummond said.
“The only thing we can do is eyeball the mountain to see if it is moving or not,” Drummond said. “No one is working today (Nov. 30) for safety reasons, and we are monitoring the drainage system. We are working to keep water out of the areas that we started digging in.”
After working all weekend trying to prevent water from entering the landslide area, construction crews resumed work Monday to complete the installation of the final six sheer pins, Drummond said.
Once the pins are installed, the next phase of winterizing the site will include preparation for the next heavy rain. But Soledad officials have concerns that may be sooner than later.
“The slide is still adjusting,” Hawk said. “It has moved a few tenths of an inch and more water could cause more movement. We don’t have close-to-the amount to have a debris flow or a mudslide, but I’d like to see less water there.”
Hawk told the City Council another heavy rainfall could cause more movement, and member Kevin Faulconer immediately jumped in, asking the rest of the council to back his resolution for $20 million in emergency repairs, much of the money from state and federal sources.
“We have to do this and we have to do this today,” Faulconer said. “We share the same concern and that’s to do everything possible to fix this situation.”