[UPDATE: Which Came First? The Slide or the Water Problems?] Broken Water Main Caused Slide that Forced Evacuations in Phillipsville Friday
A portion of the slide area [All photos by Bonnie Mullaney]
A broken water main belonging to Phillipsville’s Community Services District that dumped around 100,000 gallons of water on March 16 caused the approximately three-acre landslide in the town that forced residents of several homes and the Madrona Motor Court Cottages to evacuate Friday evening, according to the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services.
Humboldt County Sheriff deputies went door to door with PA systems announcing the evacuations at the time.
Samantha Karges, spokesperson for the HCSO and OES, told us that all the individual homes have been evacuated. She explained that there was some concern that the residents of what she believed to be low-income housing at the Madrona cottages may have chosen to stay.
Measuring a dropped area of the slide.
“We were anticipating some issues getting people to leave,” she told us via phone this morning.
“The slide itself was caused by the water main burst,” she said. “This caused the slope to become unstable.”
Unfortunately, she confirmed that as the incident is not considered storm damage then there may be difficulty obtaining funds to deal with the situation.
Today, Karges explained, that the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services was sending a geologist down to “see if movement is ongoing.”
The decision of what to do will depend on the results of that investigation.
Brylee Mullaney uncovering a broken water pipe.
Residents of Phillipsville lost water on Wednesday when the main broke. Phillipsville Community Services District manager Bonnie Mullaney told us Friday that she discovered a break in the 6″ water main above Ascending Lane on Thursday. The pipe separated and dropped six inches down and slid six inches away from its previous location. Due to the break, approximately 100K gallons of water from the district’s 140K water storage tank was lost.
Last week, Mullaney, with neighboring water district personnel and community help, was able to repair the water main temporarily with flexible line in a 10 feet loop to allow for additional separation if the slide continues to move. The repair allowed water service to be restored to PCSD customers, though residents are advised to boil the water before consuming.
UPDATE 5:20 p.m.: According to an email from Samantha Karges, the original belief that the broken water main caused the slide is now in question.
Karges said via email this evening, “After visiting the site with a geologist today, that may not be the case. At this point, the causation of the slide is undetermined. The water main break certainly exacerbated the slide, however, it’s hard to say which came first.”
In addition, the coming rain means that the evacuation order is still ongoing. Karges told us, “[T]here is no timeline for lifting the evacuation order as more rain is in the forecast. The order will remain in place until after the next weather system passes through and then a geologist will again inspect the area.”
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What came first, the chicken or the egg. The slide broke the water main that contributed to the slide movement. Sorry if the slide broke the water main it is the ONLY cause of the damage that ensued.
Sue Mother Nature.
I think you are correct. That the water line would spontaneously separate seems very unlikely.
That hole looks deep enough that there should be shoring. Be safe out there Bonnie and Brylee. Also, the earthquake and or the storms probably caused the watermain failure, even if the watermain failure caused the road to slip. CalOES and/or FEMA really should be kicking in some funding to help put P-Ville back together.
It really seems more likely that earth movement CAUSED the water line to separate, doesn’t it?
100% Ground is absolutely saturated, two recent fairly significant earthquakes….Can you say liquefaction?
I have a question, why is the label “low-income housing” for the Madrona still part of the landslide article?
Like Christina, we found the Madrona Inn on Airbnb. We stayed there a couple of nights, through Airbnb & then we rented one of the studio apartments, long-term, from Dottie for most of the 2022 Summer.
I am not offended to be labeled “low-income”; but Christina is & I support her complaint. She is a skilled professional & the label might hurt her business??? Christina was a great neighbor whom is skilled in her professional craft.
Low-income label mostly has a negative connotation & can be used to give the impression that one does not earn their keep, & sometimes used for sympathy gathering. Why is the label crucial for this reporting?
Also, labelling the Madrona “low-income”
could potentially hurt Dottie’s Airbnb rentals. I know for a fact that as a traveller, I would avoid a Motel catering to Government Subsidized low-income housing (Section 8).
I can tell you that I met a busy body freeloader when I was staying at the Madrona, but I did not meet any guest/long-term stays that would legitimately qualify under the Government’s low-income designation. Heck, maybe the freeloader is still there, claiming “low-income designation” & that makes the Madrona low-income????
While at the Madrona last Summer, in addition to Christina & the busy body freeloader, I met a travel Nurse that worked in Garberville; PG&E tree management crews; tourists; out-of-town family members of Phillipsville’s residents; construction workers; & 1 pot business person (I could tell by the scent coming from their suite. I am highly allergic & can smell the pounds).
Some of the guests staying at the Madrona drove Teslas & other new expensive trucks & cars, which makes it hard to believe they were low-income guests. Our car & the Cannabis broker were the shittiest cars on the lot – I own a 2004 beatup car & the other person had an even more beat up care then ours.
Maybe our cars brought the income-level, perception, down during our stay?? 😂
Because (#[//> =<@@)÷)is a well-known slumlord around this area. This is not meant to be an insult, its a known fact… If you don’t want to take my word for it just take a walk through the phillipsville trailer court or go visit one of #[//>÷@ Churches..
That water system was paid for by tax payers because of the poverty level income in Phillipsville. It was over $2 million which a city like eureka would have to pay themselves from their operating budget.
If you’re offended by being perceived “low income”, then you’re in the wrong town.
Also they are a well known slumlord and has preyed on people who get SSI and other subsidies while “housing” them in deplorable conditions.
Welcome to the neighborhood.
I could care less for people I don’t know perceptions of me; hence I used my
real name. If ai cared, I would have used a fake name.
It’s not the perception of you or your friend, it’s the perception of the people you rent from.. I’m sure you pay a ridiculous amount for one of Doddies “nicer” cabins..
Wowsers who’s the busy body, got it all figured out sounds like
SHAME SHAME SHAME Bing low income is NOT a shameeful condition in Amerika today. Half of all citizens qualify for that label. And it is NOT a negative conotation it is a reality for many. Try and find affordable housing even in our depressed local area. You are complaining about the wrong thing. You should be bemoaning the fact that affordable housing is impossible to find.
I need to correct myself: my husband said the person with marijuana smells at the Madrona, was likely a trimmer not a broker – based on that person’a car 😂😂
I got a pretty new car and I’m low income
broken water lines don’t cause slides – they cause erosion. This 3 acre slide is simply steep saturated land and this is not a “new slide”. It is what happens when steep ground gets wet . It probably won’t move again
If rain saturates the soil on a steep slope and it slides, why wouldn’t water from a water system also saturate a slope causing a slide? It certainly has caused them in the past in many places. Landslides are just erosion in a short time line.
We humans are so dependent on technology…
And so bad at making it dependable… 🙁
Humans actually became quite good at making dependable, long-use products/tools. Even into the 70’s/early 80’s, with the occasional manufacturer still making quality products.
Somewhere the line between sensible capitalism and “man’s dominion over Earth” blurred, and it’s a free for all race to the bottom now.