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County engineers investigate two active landslides threatening roadways and a home
Summary
Cowlitz County engineers said two active landslides are under immediate review after recent slope movement on East Canyon View Drive and at milepost 14.5 on Rose Valley Road.
Cowlitz County engineers said two active landslides are under immediate review after recent slope movement on East Canyon View Drive and at milepost 14.5 on Rose Valley Road.
County Engineer Susan Eugenius told the board that crews and the Beacon Hill Water and Sewer District have temporarily stabilized the East Canyon View site by tarping exposed soil and redirecting pipe flow away from the slope. Eugenius said the bulk of the slide lies in the county right-of-way and that a geotechnical engineer conducted a drone-based preliminary site analysis and will deliver a report with repair recommendations.
"The majority of the slide is within the county right away," Eugenius said, adding that the movement is getting close to a private home and to a driveway that ties into the road. She said the site is at the literal end of the road and is not currently blocking traffic but is creeping toward the traveled surface.
At Rose Valley Road, crews cleared a late-Thursday slide, but the county remains concerned about large boulders and slope stability. Eugenius said a geotechnical engineer inspected the embankment and will provide a memorandum likely next week on options. A photograph shown to the commissioners used a 6-foot-3 man for scale to illustrate the size of unstable rocks; Eugenius said some boulders are too large to move without breaking them into smaller pieces.
Eugenius said county staff will put the East Canyon View repair on next week’s agenda under CRP 4, the county road project number for that site, and that a separate CRP entry will be prepared for the Rose Valley work. She noted there was no active logging observed beyond the slide areas during the inspection, but that could change in the future.
Next steps include the geotechnical engineer’s written recommendations and preparation of county road project paperwork. Eugenius said staff will return to the board with repair options and associated costs once the technical memos are complete.
