Knowledgebase

Landslides #871631

Asked June 04, 2024, 11:47 PM EDT

We live in Gakona on 160 acres. Our house is constructed on silty clay soils on a bluff overlooking the Copper River. We constructed and moved into our house in 2004 and it has been stable up until the last 3 years. During those three years, the Copper Basin in general has experienced record snowfalls and a climate more similar to Valdez than to the usual interior weather patterns. Consequently, the area has seen numerous landslides, I believe a function of sub-surface water traveling laterally along gravel layers and coming out as springs and seeps on silty clay slopes. This phenomenon has been occurring on our property, to the point that we are starting to be concerned about the position of our house, a concern that was laughable when we built on this site. It is hard to understand the scale of what I'm talking about unless you see it. Do you guys have anyone available who could come and take a look? I guess a soil specialist? We're starting to consider options for relocating the house, which of course would take lots of effort and $$, and we would like an opinion on whether our concerns are valid. Is this something you guys would be interested in or could assist us with? If not, do you have any ideas who we might consult? We appreciate your time.

Valdez-Cordova County Alaska

Expert Response

This is not something we have expertise with. I think you need an engineer to assess the situation.
Stephen Brown, Ph.D. Replied June 05, 2024, 3:27 PM EDT

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