Simi Valley May Get New Study of Soil Stability : Safety: Council, spurred by angry residents, will consider funding second survey in area hit hard by quake.

Responding to irate residents hard hit by the Jan. 17 earthquake, the Simi Valley City Council on Monday will consider spending $50,000 to determine if the ground in a neighborhood in the city’s southeast area is still shifting.

A soil survey of the neighborhood by the California Department of Conservation concluded in May that the ground in the area was stable. The study, which cost $72,000, examined soil stability in an area south of Los Angeles Avenue near Yosemite Avenue.

The survey’s conclusions angered local residents, who said they have continued to see new cracks and fissures in their damaged homes. The results could have an impact on their insurance claims and factor into decisions on whether to rebuild, residents said.

“They were telling us that there wasn’t any movement going on and not a day or two before that meeting the doors to my garage popped clean off their hinges,” said Rich Deitrich, whose badly damaged home is on Sabina Circle. “Something’s wrong with that conclusion, so a lot of the neighbors got together and let the city know what was going on.”

The study by a state geologist examined the stability of the soil deep beneath the surface but did not look at the potential for soil movement near the ground surface.

Later, in remarks to city officials, the geologist acknowledged that there could also be gaps and cracks at the surface, and that localized movement could still be occurring. As soil moves to fill in those gaps, homes in the area could shift, he said.

After residents complained to the City Council that they believed the study was inadequate, the city decided to consider paying a private geologist to do another study of the area, focusing on the surface soil.

“If the study finds that there is still movement we may be able to identify what has to be done to correct that,” said Mayor Greg Stratton.

Many residents said they would prefer waiting for the results of the city’s proposed survey before deciding whether it is safe to rebuild. According to Deitrich, some residents have already had their property inspected by geologists and have determined that the cost of shoring up the soil makes rebuilding prohibitive.

Because problems on one person’s property could affect their neighbor’s, Stratton said the city may have to require that property owners shore up their land to protect neighboring homes.

“I don’t know what we do if we find that a hole or a crack in one person’s back yard is going to hurt their neighbor,” he said. “I know insurance companies sometimes pay for soil surveys, but I don’t know if they pay to pour dirt down a hole or if they pay to build retaining walls. So the obvious question is what will happen next, and I don’t know that answer.”

The intent of the city’s study, Stratton said, would be to determine what residents need to do to stabilize their soil before they start to rebuild or repair their homes. Copies of the study would be made available to homeowners in the area.

The city’s survey would be paid for with money from a $5-million federal grant awarded to Simi Valley after the earthquake.

In addition to the soil survey, the council Monday will also consider spending $30,000 of the grant money to repair quake damage to the banks of the Arroyo Simi flood control channel. The council will also consider setting aside $1.5 million of that fund for a low-interest loan program to repair quake damage not covered by other federal assistance programs.

The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Simi Valley City Hall.