Landslide Prevention Ideas

Landslides are a natural occurrence meant to redistribute soil, but they can sometimes cause catastrophic damage and even be a threat to human life. Various factors including earthquakes, heavy rains and improper grading by humans can trigger a landslide, and those people living in areas where the land slopes can be at risk for this gravity induced disaster. Although landslides will happen from time to time there are a few ways that residents and local agencies can help prevent them from happening in populated areas.
  1. Vegetation

    • Clearing steep slopes of vegetation can be a major cause of landslides in the future, according to the Washington Department of Ecology. Keeping plants above steep slopes and growing on the slope itself is a good way to help prevent landslides from occurring. The root systems of these plants anchor the soil and also suck up excess water for use by the plants. This will help prevent the soil from becoming oversaturated and giving way in flooding or heavy rains. It could even keep a hillside more stable during earthquakes.

    Drainage

    • Saturation of the soil on steep sloping lands encourages the soil to slide downhill. Preventing mudslides can sometimes be as simple as maintaining proper drainage of water from the slopes around your home. Instead of directing water drained off the roof of a building down a nearby slope, design drainage paths that pipe the water away from the slope and toward its destination in another way. If the water must travel down a nearby slope it is best to direct it into a pipe that traverses the slope and empties into a waterway or onto a beach nearby.

    No Toe Cutting

    • If you are making room at the bottom of a steep slope for construction purposes you could be making a major mistake. The toe of a hill is the bottom portion where the land goes from the downhill grade to a flat surface at the bottom. A slope will remain somewhat sturdy if there is a gradual slope to the bottom, but digging out or "cutting" the tow of the slope removes a significant amount of stability from the hillside and makes a landslide more likely. It's best never to cut a toe from a steep slope as a means of landslide prevention.

    Water Conservation

    • Water is the main catalyst for landslides, and keeping excess water off the slopes, as mentioned above, will greatly reduce the chances of a landslide. Conserve water to cut back on soil saturation. Over watering lawns with sprinkler systems will drastically decrease nearby slope stability. Using a drip irrigation system, soaker hose or other micro spray systems will reduce the wasted water that eventually runs downhill and weakens the hillside.

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