Landslide in Lindon called unlikely
Despite small land movement last year, firm not too worried
Tuesday night, the City Council reviewed a preliminary report from Kleinfelder Engineering that outlines the status of the land along the east bench.
There haven't been any landslides yet, but the city decided it didn't want to wait for a disaster.
"It's just a proactive stance that the city took to evaluate any geological hazards in the foothills," said Adam Cowie, Lindon City planning and zoning director.
Last spring, two small areas on the mountains above Lindon moved slightly, and with the attention on the city of Cedar Hills — where mudslides forced families from their homes and destroyed foundations — the city just wanted to be prepared.
"Right now, I don't foresee (the areas) being a major problem," said Greg Schlenker, an engineering geologist with Kleinfelder Engineering, and the individual who did the study. "The city will of course monitor them and look at them every so often to make sure they . . . don't become very large or expand considerably and then become a hazard. At this point, there doesn't seem to be a lot of need to go in and try to mitigate them."
The city initiated the study in October after receiving a grant from the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget for $10,000 to help defray study costs.
While Lindon does not have any development on the foothills, the $30,000 study will also provide Lindon with maps of the area to help with future possible development, as well as a list of possible solutions, or mitigation techniques, if the landslides need to be addressed.
Conducting studies before the ground starts shifting is the best way to go, said Gary Christenson, manager of the state's Geological Hazards Program.
"We, of course, think there's great benefits to doing this (study) up front to avoid problems downstream," Christenson said. "Lindon needs to be complimented, they spent the money up front . . . when it needs to be done."
Lindon and Provo have the most detailed hazard maps in Utah County, Christenson said, although some cities may have detailed maps of certain areas, as they are required of developers before building.
E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com
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