On top of fine volcanic ash at that. Add a bunch of water through rain and snow on top, freezing inside the ground (in which you get expansion and retraction due to the ice), and all that fine ash will break up in the winter, and liquify in the spring if it is holding too much water.
Actually its builder arrogance/ greed that caused this. They were determined to get 50 houses on ground that safely could hold 25. You can see theres a lot of other homes (weight) perched on the edge of the slope waiting for gravity to take over. The area should have all been green belt with homes a couple hundred feet back from the edge.
Geotechnical Engineer here. #1 cause of retaining wall failure is water. You don’t build a massive 30+ foot retained fill in a natural ravine and act surprised when it gets wet, no matter how unusual the weather. I deal with developers every day and can tell you that with few exceptions, they try to spend as little money as possible making unbuildable land “buildable.” This was a disaster waiting to happen, and it’s probably not over.
Do you suspect any liability on state legislatures for lack of proper/enough regulations? I see that whole development potentially being condemned without a very significant soil stabilization project. Just seeing the soil content from the air is much like what we see from the homes being washed away in Florida.
Been watching that area grow for years. Every time I look up there the thought pops up 'it's only a matter of time'. From the Utah Geologic Survey website: "The north-facing Steep Mountain part of the Traverse Mountains is composed of highly fractured and weakened quartz sandstone (quartzite) of the roughly 300-millionyear- old Oquirrh Group. This quartzite was readily pulverized by waves, creating an enormous supply of sand and gravel. Some of this sand and gravel remains on the Steep Mountain beach, but strong longshore currents traveling west and south through the Jordan River Narrows transported most of the material, redepositing it in the Point of the Mountain spit." So in short, when Lake Bonneville went bye-bye, it left a huge sandy beach that is no longer being 'held up' by the lake. Now gravity and erosion have taken over. Humans don't usually think of time in geologic terms, but that entire bench/hillside will disappear in the geologic blink of an eye.
Exactly. That area with the retaining walls all looks like imported material. Likely improperly compacted, or poor material. The native stuff is essentially compacted sand, but the imported stuff looks soft and unstable as well.
1- They’re forgetting or not realizing that two neighboring homes went down in this event, not just the one. 2- While the soil on South Mountain is essentially an ancient sandy beach, it appears that these homes were placed on a large fill area on top of a natural ravine. i.e. that dirt was placed there during construction of the development, and water would have continued to run along the buried ravine. Those mountainside homes were built on a sandy foundation with a stream running under it, all to squeeze a few more lots in for the developer. If justice is served, the city, the engineer, and the developer are going to be in trouble.
I read the geological reports of land we thought we'd build on. Passed on a few lots and so glad we did. The jordan river bottoms have had a few homes sink too. Never Trust anyone but your own two eyes! All those homes around that area have lost significant equity.
Same goes with "that railroad track is never used" or "that industrial park doesn't make noise at night" or "they're planning to close that airport" or .......................
Certain areas just aren’t meant to build on. Plus they built too many houses on top and too close to the edge. Houses should have been positioned in the middle area…one line only and wider apart….but they actually shouldn’t have built there at all.
To a certain extent, I put this in the "play stupid games...etc" category. People are somehow fooled into thinking that having a $3500 a month mortgage payment means that the developer is providing a quality product. They don't stop to think that developers are going to buy the cheapest land they can find and sell it off for as high a price as they can get. All those new communities and developments in the foothills are just one moderate quake or heavy rain away from ending up on I-15. If you don't want to wake up in the middle of the night with Utah Lake carp swimming through your kitchen or surfing 300 feet down a hill then maybe you should really pay a bit more attention to what kind of crap ground a developer has placed your half-million dollar home on.
Exactly why cities should be held accountable too they give the approval for the development. Instead of eight again, you build on the side of a mountain you’re at risk for anything like this fire floods landslides
So basically a retaining wall would not have working unless they anchored it down 100 feet below the bas of the bottom. Massive cost and would not be worth it. Should never have been built.
I don't think that even a 100 ft down would have done it. (I am not that kind of an engineer). The entire Traverse mountain is a landslide from 35 Mya. The bedrock is down a 1000 ft or more.
finally. been following this for months and finally their talking to the type of experts I want to hear from. there is no reason to be talking to the developer or draper city. they are both in CYA mode. however, I question if the state should be allowing building going on in those type of areas. you may say it's the cities responsibility. but the state has been pushing rapid growth for decades. government was created to protect the people. developers weren't.
There is no way to build a house correctly on the side of a ravine that is doomed to go sliding downhill. The nuilder, and all who signed permits should also be charged with wreckless endangerment.
So let's ignore that the area is prone to landslides and continue to build these massive homes in the area because of the views. And then act surprised when they crumble. SMH
This! Exactly the right question. One of my favorite classes in college was geology. We took a field trip to various sites and one was an area that showed slowly moving earth at the base of our mountains.
I grew up in the Utah watching expensive housing developments spring up along ravines throughout the Wasatch Front. As a teen in the 90s I said to myself, “it’s a matter of time before these houses start falling down the mountain”.
City of Draper should have told them no. As much as the developer has fault in even thinking to build up there, Draper City should have known better. And Lehi City for traverse mountain developments too. The same fate will happen to them. People need to pay damages to these people. It was foolish for them to buy these homes, but even more foolish for these companies to build there and be allowed to build there. So sad people’s integrity went out the window some 20 years ago or so.
My hometown had houses sliding down hills in the 1990s. Some were new builds , others that had been there for over 50 years. They were moved. Why are people not moving these homes?
Cause this ain’t 1990. It’s the 21st first century where everyone is out to make a quick buck and as soon as something goes wrong they don’t want take responsibility and point fingers at each other to not be held accountable.
I'm amazed just how the houses crumbled. I've seen other landslides along the California coast where the house seemed to mostly stay intact as it slid downhill. But these just crumbled. Was there anything holding them together? They looked like they'd collapse in a stiff wind. So there were no geology reports before these were built? Or if there were, were they swept under the carpet? MTC
I'm just a housewife and I can see that building anything at the top of a 'slide' (canyon) would be absolutely stupid!! The geologist who OK'd this build should be fired, and fired again!
How many other houses are built there in a natural ravine filled in with loose dirt?? That whole bench has quite a few just like this. Good luck neighbors!
lol @ 1:26 you can see how the contractors laid the floor and built studs directly over that flooring. Not saying the construction was the reason this home slid, but there were clearly lots of corners cut build this home, both from the land survey to the actual building of the house itself.
Hubris of anyone thinking any of this was a great opportunity. These houses cost upwards of a million plus and packed so close together and so close to the edge of that cliff. Army corps of engineers needs to get in there and sort them out.
The quality from the builder is all smoke & mirrors ... Garbage homes is what they should call themselves... All of those homes are in big trouble!!!! Mark my words , I've been saying it for years ... Those builders are responsible for all of it, and the city should know better !!!
An air photo from 10 years ago would likely show the ravine that has since been filled in and now has revealed itself again. Most cities use air photos to do planning and catch illegal building. I imagine most states conduct complete surveys once a decade or so. Find your house was built on loose fill and settle for 100% of damages.
Do not trust Developers and do extensive research people because developers just want your money. Developers time and time again have shown they CANNOT BE TRUSTED!!!
Of course the houses would slide anyone with knowledge of this area, sand, volcanic ash is on the benches of the Wasatch mountains. One day the whole area will become a slurry mess.
Wow. Maybe not build in an area that is prone to landslides. You need to bore a hole deep until bedrock is hit and use that as your foundation. It should be on concrete piling on All corners and ever 10’ depending on the house size.
That dirt, slope, do not look like they would compact and be strong enough to support those homes even without slides. Lots of payoffs go to county zoning officials sometimes.
seeing the kind of soil doesnt need a degree to figure out if it is reliable or solid ground to build a house . you cannot defy what history says where you shud build a house 😮
Volcanic ash. Even millions old that type of material is nothing but trouble. It’s a pity for the family but building on terrain like this there is always a risk. City may have gave permission to build but designers should also be aware of worst case scenario if building near the edge like that.
Overloaded and over-steepened fill slopes, all of which are fine-grained, loose material. What could go wrong. So many places do this. The views are great so builders want to go there. That a geotechnical person would ever think it's a good idea is what surprises me the most, though it shouldn't. There is too much money in it until water and gravity remind everyone that they are in charge. The hillsides there have all kinds of slope failure indicators, the substrate is terrible. But then again, cities and counties let homeowners build on flood plains and beaches because of the tax revenue. It all seems so good, right up until Mother Nature brutally reminds everyone they are idiots. I think both the city and the builder need to compensate everyone there. It was a bad idea from the beginning.
We locals KNEW back in 2000’s when they began building that it was a bad idea. You ruined our mountain for your homes that fall apart! The foolish man builds his houses on the sand.
Lucky for those that bought across the street for probably considerably less money. They will soon have an unrestricted view. For how long? Hopefully long enough to sell and profit.
Cliffs, erosion, rain, and ridiculous sized homes = Bad decision
On top of fine volcanic ash at that. Add a bunch of water through rain and snow on top, freezing inside the ground (in which you get expansion and retraction due to the ice), and all that fine ash will break up in the winter, and liquify in the spring if it is holding too much water.
Actually its builder arrogance/ greed that caused this. They were determined to get 50 houses on ground that safely could hold 25. You can see theres a lot of other homes (weight) perched on the edge of the slope waiting for gravity to take over. The area should have all been green belt with homes a couple hundred feet back from the edge.
Been going on for years. Very SAD.
@@jillgass8074 Greed. Grubby fat overfed pinky-ring backslapping greedos greasing everything in sight with money.
"Greed is good". Until it ain't.
Geotechnical Engineer here. #1 cause of retaining wall failure is water. You don’t build a massive 30+ foot retained fill in a natural ravine and act surprised when it gets wet, no matter how unusual the weather. I deal with developers every day and can tell you that with few exceptions, they try to spend as little money as possible making unbuildable land “buildable.” This was a disaster waiting to happen, and it’s probably not over.
Do you suspect any liability on state legislatures for lack of proper/enough regulations? I see that whole development potentially being condemned without a very significant soil stabilization project. Just seeing the soil content from the air is much like what we see from the homes being washed away in Florida.
Been watching that area grow for years. Every time I look up there the thought pops up 'it's only a matter of time'. From the Utah Geologic Survey website:
"The north-facing Steep Mountain part of the Traverse Mountains is composed of highly fractured and weakened quartz sandstone (quartzite) of the roughly 300-millionyear- old Oquirrh Group. This quartzite was readily pulverized by waves, creating an enormous supply of sand and gravel. Some of this sand and gravel remains on the Steep Mountain beach, but strong longshore currents traveling west and south through the Jordan River Narrows transported most of the material, redepositing it in the Point of the Mountain spit."
So in short, when Lake Bonneville went bye-bye, it left a huge sandy beach that is no longer being 'held up' by the lake. Now gravity and erosion have taken over. Humans don't usually think of time in geologic terms, but that entire bench/hillside will disappear in the geologic blink of an eye.
Nailed it. 👍 As a species, so many humans tend to be short sighted and greedy. So these predicaments are predictable.
The amount of back fill into that large ravine is criminal. At 0:50 it's obvious what the developer did.
Exactly. That area with the retaining walls all looks like imported material. Likely improperly compacted, or poor material. The native stuff is essentially compacted sand, but the imported stuff looks soft and unstable as well.
That entire side of the street looks terrifying on a good day!
1- They’re forgetting or not realizing that two neighboring homes went down in this event, not just the one.
2- While the soil on South Mountain is essentially an ancient sandy beach, it appears that these homes were placed on a large fill area on top of a natural ravine. i.e. that dirt was placed there during construction of the development, and water would have continued to run along the buried ravine. Those mountainside homes were built on a sandy foundation with a stream running under it, all to squeeze a few more lots in for the developer. If justice is served, the city, the engineer, and the developer are going to be in trouble.
I read the geological reports of land we thought we'd build on. Passed on a few lots and so glad we did. The jordan river bottoms have had a few homes sink too.
Never Trust anyone but your own two eyes! All those homes around that area have lost significant equity.
Same goes with "that railroad track is never used" or "that industrial park doesn't make noise at night" or "they're planning to close that airport" or .......................
Lehi can’t be doing well, either. They built homes right down the middle of the swampiest areas.
Certain areas just aren’t meant to build on. Plus they built too many houses on top and too close to the edge. Houses should have been positioned in the middle area…one line only and wider apart….but they actually shouldn’t have built there at all.
One good earthquake, one good heavy rain storm and you can kiss the rest of those Edge home development houses gone.
Do they have earthquakes in that area?
The entire Wasatch Front is meant to have an upcoming “Big One”. Eventually, it’ll come, and all the homes on that mountain will be in trouble.
not a geologist, engineer or architect, but even I have enough sense not to build there
All the locals tried to fight it. We knew it. There is no amount of dirt that could fill that thing to make it safe.
No duh lol. They needed a professional to assess it not just some rando who looks at it for a second and says “Yikes, that looks bad.”
To a certain extent, I put this in the "play stupid games...etc" category. People are somehow fooled into thinking that having a $3500 a month mortgage payment means that the developer is providing a quality product. They don't stop to think that developers are going to buy the cheapest land they can find and sell it off for as high a price as they can get. All those new communities and developments in the foothills are just one moderate quake or heavy rain away from ending up on I-15.
If you don't want to wake up in the middle of the night with Utah Lake carp swimming through your kitchen or surfing 300 feet down a hill then maybe you should really pay a bit more attention to what kind of crap ground a developer has placed your half-million dollar home on.
It's all debt notes to be passed on to the next.
The developer went through all the necessary inspections for the build. They can't do anything without getting a ton of approval and permits first.
Exactly why cities should be held accountable too they give the approval for the development.
Instead of eight again, you build on the side of a mountain you’re at risk for anything like this fire floods landslides
All of those houses are boned, can’t build a house on sand. At least not like this you can’t.
@@cmm3338 There are many, MANY homes built this way that have stood the test of time.
So basically a retaining wall would not have working unless they anchored it down 100 feet below the bas of the bottom. Massive cost and would not be worth it. Should never have been built.
I don't think that even a 100 ft down would have done it. (I am not that kind of an engineer). The entire Traverse mountain is a landslide from 35 Mya. The bedrock is down a 1000 ft or more.
HOmes built on the edge by the EDGE.
finally. been following this for months and finally their talking to the type of experts I want to hear from. there is no reason to be talking to the developer or draper city. they are both in CYA mode. however, I question if the state should be allowing building going on in those type of areas. you may say it's the cities responsibility. but the state has been pushing rapid growth for decades. government was created to protect the people. developers weren't.
They want that tax base.
Since when does pushing for rapid growth mean building in unsafe places? Please show some proof of this claim you pulled out of your rear.
@@douglasdever6134 DUH. The proof just SLID DOWN THE CLIFF.
People forget that, in the event of a major earthquake, areas like this, would be inaccessible by ground vehicle!
Contractors getting away with theft
Morons falling for it
What new ,debt notes steal from All Americans.
Exactly what’s going on here
This is in sun crest, it’s so far up on top that the wind constantly blows and winter lasts forever . I can’t imagine wanting to buy home there
It's only for the high and mighty.
But the view of all your accumulated crap rolling down the ravine is so majestic!
@@ConsciousnessisRough they left the buildings before the landslide
Can’t imagine sending the kids out back to play!
@ Wayne Hampton 🤣😂🤣😅🤣🤣
We build where we shouldn't. Nothing like a developer with money.
Sue Draper and the home builder for starters. 🤑
More debt notes, no Accountability.
My sand castles on the beach get washed away too, It's so sad.
"The foolish man built his house upon the sand" -Hummmm......life lessons learned in sunday school.
I have a great idea. Build homes on a foundation of soft dirt with very little rock on a downward sloping cliff on the side of a hill.
Those houses weren't built correctly, this a blessing for these homeowners.
The houses were built on sand and volcanic ash
It wasn’t that they were built correctly or not, is that they could not be built correctly because they were built on sand and ash
There is no way to build a house correctly on the side of a ravine that is doomed to go sliding downhill. The nuilder, and all who signed permits should also be charged with wreckless endangerment.
@@katiedotson704 i totally agree!!!
Why do they keep talking singular, it's 2 houses.
So let's ignore that the area is prone to landslides and continue to build these massive homes in the area because of the views. And then act surprised when they crumble. SMH
The foolish man built his house upon the sand, but first the greedy county approved and sold the permit
^^^this
There you have it. Homes built on volcanic ash. Who thought that was a good idea to 1: Built a home, and 2: go and buy property on volcanic ash. 😂😂😂
Would you mind asking the good geologist where other local areas are with similar landslide propensities, where houses have not yet started to slide?
Bountiful, Utah.
This! Exactly the right question. One of my favorite classes in college was geology. We took a field trip to various sites and one was an area that showed slowly moving earth at the base of our mountains.
I would NEVER BUY A HOME ON A HILL 😮 it DONT take an engineer to see obviously that land is sliding 💁🏽♀️ I feel for them I don’t get why??
I grew up in the Utah watching expensive housing developments spring up along ravines throughout the Wasatch Front. As a teen in the 90s I said to myself, “it’s a matter of time before these houses start falling down the mountain”.
It's a ravine .............
….filled with loose dirt! I wonder how many other houses are in a similar ravine on that bench?
You want to understand this? GREED> You are welcome.
The city official that issued the building permit is the negligent one. They are supposed to be there to protect the public.
City of Draper should have told them no. As much as the developer has fault in even thinking to build up there, Draper City should have known better. And Lehi City for traverse mountain developments too. The same fate will happen to them. People need to pay damages to these people. It was foolish for them to buy these homes, but even more foolish for these companies to build there and be allowed to build there. So sad people’s integrity went out the window some 20 years ago or so.
"The area is known to have landslides". Did anyone tell the buyers?
My hometown had houses sliding down hills in the 1990s. Some were new builds , others that had been there for over 50 years. They were moved. Why are people not moving these homes?
Cause this ain’t 1990. It’s the 21st first century where everyone is out to make a quick buck and as soon as something goes wrong they don’t want take responsibility and point fingers at each other to not be held accountable.
They are brand new builds.
Millions and billions and trillions, are wasted on dumb decisions.
Weren’t there 2 houses?
Lmfao, pure genius was just given in that interview.
I'm amazed just how the houses crumbled. I've seen other landslides along the California coast where the house seemed to mostly stay intact as it slid downhill. But these just crumbled. Was there anything holding them together? They looked like they'd collapse in a stiff wind. So there were no geology reports before these were built? Or if there were, were they swept under the carpet? MTC
that street should be closed because it could go next.
I'm just a housewife and I can see that building anything at the top of a 'slide' (canyon) would be absolutely stupid!! The geologist who OK'd this build should be fired, and fired again!
How many other houses are built there in a natural ravine filled in with loose dirt?? That whole bench has quite a few just like this. Good luck neighbors!
How'd you like to be any of the other houses on that street??!! Yikes!!
Hope the builder has good liability insurance. Heartbreaking for the home owners.
lol @ 1:26 you can see how the contractors laid the floor and built studs directly over that flooring. Not saying the construction was the reason this home slid, but there were clearly lots of corners cut build this home, both from the land survey to the actual building of the house itself.
"Open Concept" taken to an extreme.
Hubris of anyone thinking any of this was a great opportunity. These houses cost upwards of a million plus and packed so close together and so close to the edge of that cliff. Army corps of engineers needs to get in there and sort them out.
The geologist just throwing out the double speak 😂
Exactly
The amount of backfill… thats all you need to know.
I’m an engineer. That was stupid to think that big of a fill was going to work.
What happened to the ground beneath it? Simple, it slid away and went down. And just look at those new Open Floor Looks.
It's just normal settling. Nothing to worry about
😁😁😁
smart for commercial spot on news anyway that's going to play well in front of the judge
Heavy D helped save a guy's home when it started sliding down a mountain. Very scary stuff.
The home was on top of a coulee if the land was disturbed below. It would make a landslide in the future.
Thank God no one was killed or injured but none of those houses are safe and they should never have been built there.
The quality from the builder is all smoke & mirrors ... Garbage homes is what they should call themselves... All of those homes are in big trouble!!!! Mark my words , I've been saying it for years ... Those builders are responsible for all of it, and the city should know better !!!
An air photo from 10 years ago would likely show the ravine that has since been filled in and now has revealed itself again. Most cities use air photos to do planning and catch illegal building. I imagine most states conduct complete surveys once a decade or so. Find your house was built on loose fill and settle for 100% of damages.
THIS IS SCARY!
Booo
“I have the best view….oh waittttt.”
I 2:26 see houses that will be toast when we get our “not if, but when” earthquake we are due also.
Do not trust Developers and do extensive research people because developers just want your money. Developers time and time again have shown they CANNOT BE TRUSTED!!!
Doesn't take an expert to look at the site and realize the whole thing was bogus, who ever ok'd this construction should be held liable.
You build on a hillside this is what tends to happen! Don’t need someone to tell me that!!!
They probably need to put in vertical support piles and reinforced concrete pads to support the homes in places built of volcanic ash.
Is it wise to build on a cliff or next to an ocean that has risen 1 inch in a hundred years?
cant buy common sense now a days it seems.
Clearcutting and building on swamps
Geologist? You need an ENGINEER
This what happens whe
you buy a home SO CLOSE to a canyon, ocean.... Should be a ordinance of a mile minimum for building.
Of course the houses would slide anyone with knowledge of this area, sand, volcanic ash is on the benches of the Wasatch mountains. One day the whole area will become a slurry mess.
So they build house in slide sides can happen anywhere .
Wow. Maybe not build in an area that is prone to landslides. You need to bore a hole deep until bedrock is hit and use that as your foundation. It should be on concrete piling on All corners and ever 10’ depending on the house size.
well the collapsed house was right in the path of a water drainage ! you can see the water drainage ditch below the collapse!
The development should be made to buy back all those homes....
So what's going on with the lawsuit against the developer?
Been waiting for the day this would happen! Building a house on a cliffside... real real smart 🤓
Pile up a lot of dirt into the edge of a ravine to create a flat piece of ground, put a heavy house onto it, and it will collapse.
what do think is going to happen when you build your house upon the sand?
That dirt, slope, do not look like they would compact and be strong enough to support those homes even without slides. Lots of payoffs go to county zoning officials sometimes.
Area know for landslides . Let's build homes!
Soil too powdery, no clay...what did you expect, those should have never been given a permit.
seeing the kind of soil doesnt need a degree to figure out if it is reliable or solid ground to build a house . you cannot defy what history says where you shud build a house 😮
Strip that architect of their license and the builders as well.
Oh Oh .. should have used caisson’s 🤨
You built house on the side of a cliff. What did anyone think was going to happen.
Feel ao bad for those homeowners there!!!
That's what happens when builders do and build wherever they Want
Volcanic ash. Even millions old that type of material is nothing but trouble. It’s a pity for the family but building on terrain like this there is always a risk. City may have gave permission to build but designers should also be aware of worst case scenario if building near the edge like that.
Who knew that building on a filled ravine would ever be a problem?
The road is next
ELI5: Earth move, house fall 💥
Overloaded and over-steepened fill slopes, all of which are fine-grained, loose material. What could go wrong. So many places do this. The views are great so builders want to go there. That a geotechnical person would ever think it's a good idea is what surprises me the most, though it shouldn't. There is too much money in it until water and gravity remind everyone that they are in charge. The hillsides there have all kinds of slope failure indicators, the substrate is terrible. But then again, cities and counties let homeowners build on flood plains and beaches because of the tax revenue. It all seems so good, right up until Mother Nature brutally reminds everyone they are idiots. I think both the city and the builder need to compensate everyone there. It was a bad idea from the beginning.
Why doesn’t he mention that those cliffs are actually fault scarps?
We locals KNEW back in 2000’s when they began building that it was a bad idea. You ruined our mountain for your homes that fall apart! The foolish man builds his houses on the sand.
why did they not tear the homes down when the people moved out
The soil wasnt dug out and recompacted to begin with.
That home should of never been there. Corruption keeps allowing people to build were they shouldn't
Lucky for those that bought across the street for probably considerably less money. They will soon have an unrestricted view. For how long? Hopefully long enough to sell and profit.
That's what happens when you build on a mountain and don't have an architect that knows water science 😂😂😂😂