Monday, 25 January 2010 01:14

Jackson Makes Temp Repair to Eroding Hillside

slide4-jackson_makes_temp_repair_to_eroding_hillside.pngAmador County – Repairmen could be seen scaling the hillside above Jackson’s main thoroughfare on Thursday in order to replace a large sheet of tarpaulin used to prevent mudslides. Heavy winds and rainfall brought by the latest storm system managed to dislodge a portion of the prevention system on the steep hillside behind the public restrooms located at the Highway 49/88/Main Street intersection. Mike Laney noticed the tarp had blown loose while driving to work in the morning. “Because the dirt on top of the rocks can get oversaturated, I contacted the city and suggested they get someone out to replace the tarp,” he said. He notified Larry White, Jackson’s Senior Building Inspector, who in turn notified members of his department to make the repairs. Laney is the Senior Engineer for Holdrege & Kull, a technical engineering and consulting firm which joined the city in finding solutions to the hillside erosion after a major rock slide on March 4, 2009. During the initial slide, tons of rock came down and caused minor damage to the backside of the restroom facility. Since then, future slides have been prevented through a combination of tarps, tires and rope. Jackson City Manager Mike Daly said the tarp is only a temporary fix in place to minimize saturation to the hillside. Current estimates for a permanent solution to the problem run from $100,000 to $150,000. Daly said that, at least for now, funding a more permanent fix is off the table. “It has been a problem for a long time and we have various recommendations for stabilizing it further, but for now our money is being used to keep the city operating right,” he said. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.