City prepares to order up mudslide geologic report
Sausalito is moving forward with the preparation of a mudslide hazard geologic report.
The city is set to contract with Miller Pacific Engineering Group, a geotechnical services firm in Napa, to develop a geologic hazard report and map. The report is expected to take four to six months to develop.
The contract will cost the city up to $53,000, according to the agreement. The item is set for adoption Tuesday, Feb. 7, as part of the City Council's consent calendar.
“The study that we are pursuing will not only identify instabilities in public roadway systems and other areas that are public but the idea is to develop a map that shows instabilities throughout Sausalito,” said Kevin McGowan, the city's public works director.
McGowan, who presented a storm damage and geologic resilience report at the meeting on Jan. 24, said the city did “fairly well” this winter.
Repairs will be needed on Hecht Avenue, a dirt road west of Sausalito Boulevard. The primary issue there might be related to drainage issues. He said the work might be the responsibility of Caltrans or the National Park Service as well.
Repairs also might be needed on the North Street steps, a public stairwell. The city has already removed debris, but the area remains closed to the public. The scope and extent of damage is still being evaluated, he said.
The city might consider seeking state and federal assistance for remediation. McGowan said if the city intends to seek reimbursements, it must do so “fairly soon.”
Sausalito has a major mudslide in February 2019 that inundated Sausalito Boulevard and Crescent Avenue during a storm. The flow
knocked a duplex down a steep hillside before wiping out another home in its path.
In June 2019, the council created a landslide committee that issued recommendations to council. Among them was the development of the report.
The city has allocated $100,000 for the report through its capital improvement fund. The city received two proposals, including one from Miller, in February 2022.
McGowan said soil instability has been a feature in Sausalito for decades.
“The study that we are proposing to move forward with would help to identify those instabilities for us to better understand how to address these areas from a safety and development perspective,” he said.
Councilmember Janelle Kellman said she hopes the city would move forward with an ordinance that would govern building on private property that might have soil instability.
Kellman also inquired about residents who were affected by the mudslides on their properties. McGowan said seeking state and federal assistance for such slides was “almost impossible.”
The city is still awaiting reimbursement for cleanup of the 2019 mudslide. It hired a consulting service in January 2022 to assist it in recouping more than $330,000 in costs related to the cleanup after the Federal Emergency Management Agency rejected its reimbursement claim.
The city also discussed creating a geologic hazard abatement district.
Councilmember Jill Hoffman said creating such a district could enable a tax that could be used to respond to and repair hazards in the city.