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NORTH SALT LAKE — A geotechnical report on the land where the North Salt Lake landslide occurred shows delicate conditions for building but found the hillside “suitable” for building.
The report, commissioned by developer Sky Properties, shows crews drilled 41 feet into the ground and didn't find anything but sand and gravel. However, they did find bedrock just 14 feet down at another test point.
Engineers also tested moisture levels, density and conditions of the soil.
The report found the soil had various layers of silty fine to coarse sand with some silty clay. It also found that gravel soils were loose and dense to very dense and slightly wet in some places.
Overall, the report found the site of the Eaglepointe Development is suitable for building. Rockfall and avalanche were not considered significant geological hazards.
The report also found the debris flow was also considered a low hazard in the area but the fill tested was not well compacted.
City officials and engineers will meet later on Thursday to discuss the report and see if it holds any clues about what may have triggered the slide.
"We can look at our processes and say is there something we can do to improve the processes?” said North Salt Lake Mayor Len Arave. “And that is something that we will be doing."
The mayor said the city will also look into making changes in the future when it comes to home building in the area.
Four homes are still considered at-risk in the landslide as of Thursday morning as city officials face another day of state of emergency.
There is still no time frame for when those homeowners will know if their homes are safe.
Experts have been surveying the land and they've found the slide covers about 250,000 square feet.
