Yearlong geology study begins in Colorado Springs
Dozens of homes in Colorado Springs were damaged by landslides after heavy rain in the spring of 2015, and city officials are conducting a study to learn more about the situation.
“It’s an engineering geology study, not a landslide study,” said Tyra Sandy, project manager for the city.
Sandy said landslides are caused not just by rain, but also by groundwater, steep slopes and poor soil quality.
“We want to better understand how those factors work together, and create a database that will help developers and homeowners make informed decisions about whether to build in or around landslide zones,” she said.
Sandy said previous geological surveys have left numerous gaps in information in zones on the west side of Colorado Springs.
The city has contracted with an engineering firm to spend a month visually surveying two sections of public land, followed by installing monitoring devices to track movements of earth and groundwater.
The result is an updated database expected to be ready for the public next spring.
“I wish that database was around when I bought my house 12 years ago,” said homeowner Bob Jardon. “It’s a good thing to do, and it’s long overdue.”
Sandy said the city is budgeting $500,000 for the project.
In a related matter, the city said it is almost ready to start buying out the worst landslide-damaged homes as part of a $6 million plan funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The city has evaluated the 23 homes that qualify for a buyout and created a priority list. Homeowners will be given an offer and, if they accept, will have their homes demolished and their property converted to open space.
Each homeowner must pay demolition costs from their share of the buyout money, which, according to some estimates, will be around half of the home’s appraised value in 2015.
Jardon said he’s second on the priority list.
“I don’t know if I’ll be satisfied with the offer,” he said. “I’m just ready to get it over with. My wife and I are looking to move out of state because she’s ill and needs to be at a lower altitude.”
City officials said they don’t know how many homes will be purchased with the FEMA money, and will continue seeking other funding sources for the remaining homeowners.
