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LA conchita trial Wall under stress, engineer testifies
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More from Local NewsA geotechnical engineer called to testify in the wrongful death and property damage trial brought on by the 2005 La Conchita landslide said a wall erected by the county showed signs of being under stress by water pressure.
Daniel Pradel testified as an expert for the plaintiffs in a trial that could last as long as four months and see strings of other experts, engineers and hydrologists take the stand for both the plaintiffs and defendants.
"It was a bad wall," Pradel said, adding that water stains shouldn't have been as high as 10 to 13 feet.
He said this indicates water pressure was overwhelming on the free-standing wall that showed leaks after a heavy rainfall. "It shows water coming out — out of places where it's not supposed to be coming out," said Pradel.
Plaintiffs named the county as one of the defendants because they allege that the wall, put up after a 1995 landslide, was a public improvement that damaged private property.
The trial was triggered by an eight-second landslide that killed 10 people and destroyed 13 homes in the seaside community.
There are 36 plaintiffs in the civil case. The plaintiffs also claim that La Conchita Ranch Co. saturated its orchards with water and didn't build an adequate drainage system.
The water collected against the wall until it pushed the structure out of the way, causing a water-soaked slope to collapse onto La Conchita homes and streets, according to Pradel.
Defendants, which include the ranch company, claim that La Conchita sits in a vulnerable spot and that the 50-acre area has a history of landslides and mud slides, some recorded as far back as the 1800s.
After the 1995 landslide, the county declared La Conchita a "geological hazard area," and structures had to post warning signs that also stated: "Enter at your own risk."
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