Sunday, May 1, 2011

Landslide in Saint-Jude Quebec

Source: Canadian Press.  A landslide last year taken May 11, 2010

The above photo was taken a little less than a year ago in Saint-Jude Quebec.  Now there are signs that another landslide in the area may occur.  Nine families are waiting to hear if they can return to their homes, after a riverbank collapsed last Wednesday.  A large section off the Salvail River eroded and collapsed into the water.  Officials are taking precautions in order to avoid another disaster as last years landslide resulted in a family of four that died.  

So what are these signs that are predicting another landslide?

Over the past week heavy rains have caused the ground to be less stable.  The ground in the area overlies a clay seabed where water can get in between the clay particles.  Water in between clay particles = unstable.  The soil becomes weak, even worse if there are buildings providing a load on it.

It makes you wonder why homes were ever built on this clay layer in the first place.  Testing is usually done before houses are even constructed to know the types of material the foundation is going to be built upon.  These homes have probably been there a long time and testing was not available when they were being built. Now a days, homes would not be built without having lab tests done on the soil. 

Municipal and provincial officials will spend the next two months assessing the safety of the area and mitigating the erosion problem along the Salvail River.  To stabilize the shore will take six to eight weeks.  

To read the original article click here

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