Various stakeholders are meeting at the site of the fatal landslide to discuss the various options for replacing or realigning the portion of the canal that failed. [Source: HJNews.com. Image: Landslides Under a Microscope Blog]
The Mt. Soledad Landslide in a La Jolla California neighborhood destroyed 3 houses and damaged others and it also shut down Mt. Soledad Road for an entire year after it occurred in October of 2007. Residents blamed the city of San Diego, and 65 homeowners filed suit, claiming that leaking pipes caused the landslide and the City should cover damages.
Last week, a superior court judge ruled in favor of the City of San Diego. So far I have not seen anything indicating if the residents plan to appeal the ruling.
One interesting note regarding the trial, the City released an 8-minute cell phone video taken by a geotechnical engineer or drilling contractor employed by the City that showed the road cracking and buckling just prior to failure. The homeowners used the video to try to make their own case. Click through for a portion of the video and a link to the full one.
This amazing video has been making its way around the geoblogosphere as well as the mainstream media. Pretty remarkable. It ranks up there with the Japanese Landslide Video.
This is definitely a sad story, and one that highlights the importance of an adequate geological investigation when designing pipelines. A landslide cause a rupture in the Trans-Equador oil pipeline on May 31st. The volume […]
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