Last March, on a calm day with no rain, a large cedar fell from the top of a failed slope in Abrams Park. The top landed over the trail next to the creek. Public works cut and removed the top but left the tree over the creek. The trunk is above water but the branches have caught debris that floated with the heavier flow on November 12th. The log jam dam has directed the stream flow directly into the base of the slide and is undercutting the stream bank. This could further undermine the slope putting more trees into the creek and sending sediment into the refuge.
The view from the top of the slope shows how the stream has been redirected so that the main channel flows into the bank. It is critical to restore flows so that the bank is no longer undercut. The city is looking at what can be done now that the state would permit. Hopefully, there can be a project later that can stabilize this slope.
By Paul Snoey
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