slope failure endangers homes in San Antonio Texas subdivision 1

Wow... Hope you aren't the design engineer on this one!

My first day of my first engineering job, my boss says to me, "you know what the three most important things in civil engineering are?"

"Water, Water and Water... You can design and build a bunch of pretty stuff - walls, bridges, roads, etc., but if you don't consider water, it can destroy it all."

Looks to me like someone neglected proper surface and subsurface drainage behind that wall, which likely caused this failure. And in areas where you are creating a fill slope wall like this, getting solid soil compaction behind the wall is also imperative, and may have contributed to the slide.

If I didn't know better, I would have thought this video was taken in California - happens there all the time.

The forensic investigation might not take very long:


Official: No permit for crumbling retaining wall
Jan 25, 2010 (5:50p CST)
By MICHELLE ROBERTS (Associated Press Writer)

SAN ANTONIO - A San Antonio planning official says a retaining wall designed to hold up the land beneath a group of homes that now sit precariously on a crumbling hilltop did not have a permit.

Planning Director Roderick Sanchez says Centex Homes was required to get a permit for the 1,000-foot-long stone wall used to shore up a hill where several homes were built - but no permit was acquired.

He says the builder's parent company, Pulte Homes Inc., assured the city that it had a certified engineer design the wall and it was built to specifications.

But so far, Sanchez said Monday that the city has not seen any verification.

About 25 homes remain evacuated after a landslide that began Sunday threatened to collapse the wall and send several houses tumbling downhill.

It appears the wall had no design, straps, underdrain/weepholes.

The slideshow did not slide too well for me, but it looks as though the wall was just constructed of aggr./stone and not tied into the fill with anything.

Yup. That's their reputation here too.

A little birdie just flew by and said "Cheap, Cheap".

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask

Interesting the City said they did not issue a permit for the retaining wall.

I wonder though, if the city issued certificates of occupancy for the houses.

I bet the design engineer comes forward with acceptable drawings, only to find out the contractor didn't build it that way.

The contractor will probably say the developer made them to build it another way, but it won't be in writing.

Let the finger pointing officially begin!!

For more Pulte follies:
Obviously, this lady has an agenda. But it seems like it would be cheaper to buy her house than listen to her squawk.
At what point is the price of proper engineering and construction become more than the costs of mitigating these disasters?

Horrible situation for everyone who bought these houses.

We have had some possible work for keystone retaining walls that were built wrong on a slope holding up a house, and I don't think the owner wanted to pay us to fix the badly constructed walls. Do you guys think the subdrain water is the issue with this wall? Or the footings/piles not done correctly?

Civil Development Group, LLC
Los Angeles Civil Engineering specializing in Hillside Grading

Too early to say, Brandon, but there is suggestive evidence: I read somewhere that there had been heavy rains lately. Also, there was a sewer line in the fill, but I have seen no report on whether it had leaked. Either of those could have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

Was there a drain? Would it have made a difference in a sustained period of wet weather? I dunno. I've also read that the soils in the area are clayey, making them more difficult to drain effectively, as well as making the friction angle lower than most other soils. Can't say whether those two effects were involved, but they would sure be on my list of suspects and unindicted co-conspirators. They also have swelling clay in that area. Co-conspirator, or an innocent bystander (this time)?

I would not be surprised if there was no design. I have seen Pulte do the same around here.

Sad thing is that you can typically get a pretty cheap design if you have soil data in the surrounding area.

OK you experts. Do you guys design walls to hold back super-saturated clay? Kinda asking a lot of any wall I think.

If clay is all you have to work with, do you install drains to keep it from turning to a semi-liquid? Is that feasible?

Isn't the whole idea of any wall here and the use of clay fill rather dumb when you know what rainy weather and clays do there?

Would not the city be at fault for letting this overall development to be done in the first place? That's what Plan Commissions are for.

The poor wall happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It can't be all the wall's fault. As to a permit, did those folks get a permit for their fences there? Since when does a wall have to have a permit?

In summary, it's a lot more complicated than just a wall.

Where I live (and coincidentally just built in my back yard a wall with lots of rebar, a drain, and a key, on swelling clay) a permit is required for any retaining wall over 4 feet from bottom of base slab to top of wall. With or without the drain, "supersaturated" is implausible at my site due to topography (runoff --> v. little infiltration), and I'll be surprised if I ever get a drop out the end of the pipe. The drain is there "just because," and its cost was quite small compared to the concrete and excavation.

And as of a few months ago, the county zoning people claim authority over colors and textures - earth tones and natural-looking textures. Apparently "concrete" is not an earth tone. Makes me want to paint the thing amethyst purple and see if they come after me. Amethyst is a naturally occurring mineral; therefore, its color is an earth tone, like turquoise, jet black, ruby red, sapphire blue, etc., right?

Permits are required for fences here also.

Clay soil is nothing new to Texas, and a retaining wall that hieght is well within the capabilities of a retaining wall if designed and constructed properly.

Soil saturation can be an issue, but walls can be designed for them as well by factoring in the additional hydrostatic pressure.

From the pictures it didn't appear the me the wall was constructed with any geogrid either. Adding a well drained backfill against the wall with weepholes could have also prevented hydrostatic buildup.

Here in Dallas any wall over 4-feet in height needs a building permit, which in turn requires engineer stamped drawings.

I have the feeling the city of San Antonio is going to be on the hook here as well. Or at least not get off scott free.

I'll bet the City issued C.O.'s (certificates of occupancy) for those houses. If the City required a permit for the wall, but then gave C.O.'s without issuing that permit, they are going to be liable as well.

There is an inferred responsibility when giving C.O.'s that city requirements have been met.

If I were those residents, I would hire the most bulldog onery lawyer I could find go after the city, developer, contractor and the inspection company all at the same time. If engineered drawings for the wall are discovered, have them peer reviewed by a separate civil engineer.

Even those away from the collapse will have their property values adversely affected, just by being in the same subdivision.

There are weeps; you can see them some photos by enlarging the photo.

Over here in LA a wall over 2.5' and not having a flat slope behind is basically considered retaining and needs permits and can fall under lots of restrictions/variances.

For those working in Texas on 6'+ walls, do you use conventional walls or pile supported more often for clay soils???

Seems like everything new out here in SoCal is built on slopes and/or on landslide areas now, so piles are just so common.



Civil Development Group, LLC
Los Angeles Civil Engineering specializing in Hillside Grading

I found this passage from the news article amusing:

Travis Watson, 36, said he noticed the ground behind his 3-month-old home in the 8300 block of Valley Well had shifted down several inches Friday, and he called the home builder.

“I was told that I wasn't watering enough,” he said.

“Darnell conceded Centex had no city permit to build the retaining wall, but he said he thought the company followed city regulations and standard industry practices in its construction. He disputed the city's allegation that the wall was improperly built.”


Maybe it was properly built, but improperly designed?

oldest guy

The MSE or Modular Block walls I have been associated with included select fill or aggregate. (low to no PI stuff) along with the geo-mat or strap type anchor systems, and utilized underdrain systems when necessary.

Many have been constructed adjacent to high PI (35+)fill material. Too my knowledge none have came close too this scope of failure.

I think I get your point but, are you saying a wall could not have been designed and constructed here that would have met the needs of these site conditions?

Oh it's Centex and not a Pulte built home?.?.?

Civil Development Group, LLC
Los Angeles Civil Engineering specializing in Hillside Grading

Pulte owns Centex. Two peas in a pod.