High water usage could be a culprit that weakened a hillside beneath Dave and Kathei Hendrickson's Southwest Burlingame Place home, sending it crashing into two other homes on Oct. 8, according to a preliminary investigation by the city's Bureau of Development Services and the Water Bureau.

Ross Caron, Bureau of Development Services Site Services Division manager, said an informal investigation did not pinpoint a cause of the landslide. It did, however, find that the property had "higher than normal" water usage leading up to the slide, he said.

"At the beginning of this it was deemed unusual to have a slide at that time of year," Caron said.

A search of city building permits and Water Bureau records found that the site had higher use of water than was considered usual, he said. The city has not determined the reason for the water use. [Read full article]

By Shasta Kearns Moore,

The Southwest Community Connection

Portland Tribune - November 25, 2008