The Portuguese Bend Landslide - A Better Way
THE PORTGUESE BEND LANDSLIDE - IS THERE A BETTER WAY?
The efforts of the RPV City Council and City Manager, Ara Mihranian and the RPV Staff should be commended because they have produced results. The Portuguese Bend landslide has been slowed by deep dewatering wells at the toe of the landslide, for now. For more detailed information, please open this link: https://www.rpvca.gov/1031/Portuguese-Bend-Landslide
2025 INTO THE FUTURE
RPV is using two engineering geology firms (Geo-Logic Associates and Cotton Shires and Associates), as well as a project manager (Hout Engineering Consulting) and a specialized land surveying firm (McGee Surveying Consulting) at a cost of around $2,000,000 since 2022. These firms’ study, among other things, ground movement based on the City’s Global Positioning Satellites (GPS), study subsurface conditions from test bores, conduct field observations, geologic borings, specify locations of deep dewatering wells, and develop engineering solutions to the land movement. Is this money well spent? Is there a better alternative? PVP Watch believes there is.
THE ALTERNATIVE – A WORLD RENOWN CONSULTANT
About 3 years ago, after being highly recommended by landscape experts from the University of Arizona, Geoff Beale, an expert on the integration of hydrogeology and geotechnical engineering associated with landslides, visited RPV and toured the landslide areas. Beale met with community leaders and RPV staff.
The group decided with Beale’s input that the landslide was more than one landslide, it was two landslides, one on top of the other and that the dewatering wells, originally planned for 150 ft. should be dug deeper, to 300 feet. The result was the discovery of a huge quantity of ground water. Ground water that the current dewatering wells are pumping out more than a million gallons per day or 168 million gallons of water since September 2024. This decision and subsequent action almost completely stopped the landslide movement beneath the wells.
In addition, Beale recommended the wells be fitted with devices to track the underground movement and pump 24/7. The City agreed to 24/7 but did not install the tracking devices.
Beale recommended drilling wells on the west end of the slide (by Warfarer’s Chapel). RPV eventually agreed.
Future dewatering well locations at a cost per well of $200,000 to more than $1 million should be in areas where surface land movement is the greatest. RPV is using GPS to monitor ground movement. Beale highly recommends using InSAR’s satellite tracking.
WHO IS GEOFF BEALE?
Geoff Beale is a global expert on the integration of hydrogeology and geotechnical engineering. He has worked in more than 65 countries worldwide, in all major industrial commodities and communities, and in all climatic zones.
Beale is recognized globally for his knowledge of open pit mine dewatering projects and the management of water in in-pit slope failures and landslides.
He has worked for more than four decades in surface and groundwater control.
He has developed and overseen mitigation projects for large unstable slopes and has been involved with many of the world’s largest mining operations.
As part of his studies of the role of water in geotechnical engineering, he has gathered data and experience from many sites worldwide.
WHY HASN’T RPV RETAINED HIM?
Good question. In his field Beale is ‘Top Gun.’ The Portuguese Landslide area is a unique problem to Palos Verdes and to the world. As such, in our opinion, it deserves more knowledge and skills than the local consultants can provide . . . it needs the ‘Top Gun’ as an advisor.
ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN
If this sounds logical to you, please send an email to the RPV City Council that says ‘the Portuguese Bend landslides should consider retaining Top Gun Geoff Beale’ to: www.rpvca.gov or respond to this email at info@pvpwatch.com.
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