Portuguese Bend Emergency Landslide Remediation Project

HOUT collaborated closely with engineers, stakeholders, and contractors to implement critical landslide stabilization measures. Our team provided construction management services for both the Winterization Program and the Deep Dewatering Well Program.

The Winterization Program was developed to minimize surface water intrusion during storm events. This effort included multiple projects, most notably extensive earthwork within Upper Altamira Canyon, where a 60-inch diameter HDPE pipe was installed and buried to redirect stormwater flow and reduce infiltration into the landslide area.

The Deep Dewatering Well Program evolved from an exploratory borehole investigation. Through this program, our team oversaw the installation of wells ranging from 220 to 360 feet deep, with casing diameters between 8 and 12 inches. These wells are designed to extract artesian groundwater and safely discharge it to the ocean following required testing, helping reduce subsurface pressure contributing to landslide movement.

Construction activities required the use of heavy equipment, including drilling rigs, water trucks, pumps, storage tanks, excavators, and specialized support equipment. This one-of-a-kind project is being implemented as an emergency response to address the largest active landslide in North America.