People living near landslide say they see a lot of movement

RIVERDALE – Residents in Riverdale are growing more and more frustrated with a landslide that’s creeping closer to their homes.

There is a line of fencing and caution tape that surround several homes near the area of 4850 South and 600 West.  These residents didn’t want to be interviewed, but, they claim they see more movement every single day.  They also say their insurance doesn’t cover landslides.

One man posted a video showing what he believes is the loss of roughly four feet of land next to his property.  City officials are teaming with geologists to track any additional movement caused by the slide.

They do know it was sparked by ground water in November, but, they still have one question they can’t answer.

“Why did ground water levels increase to the point where it caused this big of a landslide?” asks Project Geologist Greg McDonald.

There is plenty of speculation about what caused the groundwater to change in November.  It could be due to irrigation, or the spring runoff may have shifted directions.  Whatever the cause, McDonald says it appears to be going away.

“Over those months, it has been decreasing slowly.  The residents say they’ve seen the spring flow decrease,” says McDonald.

Some residents are concerned that more storms could make the landslide even worse.  However, McDonald says, “If it was long enough and intense enough with enough water, it could saturate the landslide and cause issues, but, that would take a lot of rain.”

The wind is blowing away a lot of the sandy soil so close to the homes that have been condemned.