Via Bluffs Stability to be Tested

By DAYNA DRUM | Reporter

A Via Bluffs street that has  been shaken by a myriad of landslides and partially closed to traffic since the 1950s may be about to reopen.

The Department of Parks and Recreation has ordered the first step—a soil analysis at Via de las Olas, which has been blocked off at its junction with Via De la Paz for generations.

This is due to be completed within a month.

At the same time, pipes known as hydraugers, which carry away excess water, will also be cleaned out—although who will pay for that remains a thorny issue.

The work will be carried out by geotech engineers Ninyo & Moore, who are expected to start the work at the end of the month.

In 1958 a large slump of sandstone and shale cliffs crashed down into what is now the southern edge of Palisades Park in 1958, changing the shape of the bluffs forever.

After several subsequent landslides the city now wants to determine the stability of the Via Bluffs curb overlooking the park.

Representatives from Ninyo & Moore announced at a small community meeting on Monday, July 18 that the project would take about four weeks.

The company will attempt to locate all of the hydraugers that were previously installed to relieve excess water in the soil and clean the small pipes out.

Three large borings will also be conducted to log the geology, and the company will install four inclinometer casings, to measure the inclination of the area.

Few residents attended the meeting, but some expressed concern over the added weight of the large project equipment to the bluffs. They were assured that it would not be a danger.

Residents want to know who will foot the bill for the work.

The Department of Parks and Recreation is funding the $150,000 cost of the evaluation and clean up, but some attendees opined the company that installed the hydraugers should pay that.

They felt that Occidental Petroleum Corporation should pay for the overgrown pipelines to be cleaned out, since they were originally responsible for maintenance.

City officials stated they were not aware if Oxy had been contacted or why the city decided to hire a new company.

This isn’t the only area of bluffs that is being evaluated in the Palisades.

The Bureau of Engineering has conducted multiple studies on an area of Asilomar Boulevard in the El Medio Bluffs to determine options for a dewatering system and a retaining wall.

Earlier this year in April, another study was conducted to evaluate the properties beneath the street.

A community meeting will be held on Aug. 24 to present the alternatives for a wall to be built along the southern side of the street. The pre-design phase for the project is slated to be completed by the end of the summer.

Additional Reporting by Austin Pruitt