LAGUNA BEACH : City Starts to Shore Up Rimrock Hillside

With the rainy season approaching, the city has begun a three-month project to steady a faltering Rimrock Canyon hillside where a landslide destroyed two homes last spring. Officials had hoped to begin the $800,000 job sooner but were waiting for approval from affected residents, said Terry Brandt, director of municipal services. Once they were confident that the approvals would be given, he said, the grading and other work began.

In March and April, two landslides forced three families from their homes along Dunning Drive, raising concerns among other home owners about the stability of their lots.

In August, homeowners’ nerves were further jangled when stress cracks began appearing along Dunning Drive. The city immediately launched an emergency street stabilization project, but a geologist’s report said that other property in the area could be in danger.

The initial stages of the project, which should be completed in January, involve clearing shrubbery from the canyon wall and installing drain pipes to catch rainwater that could pose problems for workers.

Trucks have already begun dumping dirt that will be used to build up the canyon floor to provide access for workers. The goal is eventually to create an earthen buttress 35 feet deep and 120 feet wide. Later, the slopes will be replanted.

With 34,000 cubic yards of dirt to be hauled into the canyon, Brandt said, the project is bound to be noisy and dirty. But so far, he said, residents aren’t complaining.

“Most of the people on the street are happy to see us out there working,” he said.