Water Resources Award of Excellence
La Baie Landslide and Embankment Restoration Englobe
D
uring a regional state of emergency in 2022, the City of Saguenay, Que., sought to protect its residents from landslides. Englobe provided key geotechnical analyses and supervised emergency stabilization work, citizen evacuations, recovery of property, destruction of residences at risk and restoration of the damaged embankment.
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CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER
“The team used technical expertise and important human connections to control chaos. Their work directly saved lives.” – Jury
residences. Englobe supervised the installation of concrete blocks to demarcate the sector at risk. In less than 48 hours, the team orchestrated a constant watch of the damaged embankment with a drone, cameras and geotechnical experts. Along with piezocone drilling, this effort identified the presence of a highly sensitive layer of clay-like soil, capable of causing dangerous mudslides and additional landslides. The risk zone was enlarged. Englobe next oversaw the emergency evacuation of 60 homes and 200 residents and continued to supervise emergency stabilization measures, including the installation of dikes and low walls and restoration and stabilization work on the damaged slope. This work was partly carried out with phytotechnology,
which is based on biomimicry and integrates concepts of civil engineering, forestry and agronomy to improve the safety, durability and socioeconomic value of treated soils. As the team conducted risk analyzes on 50 similar residential sites, its efforts helped comfort hundreds of worried citizens. The key was to remain agile and flexible to manage both the technical and human aspects of the project, from beginning to end. Multidimensional challenges Once the regional state of emergency was declared, the team had to temper social chaos and civic concern by very quickly marking out critical initiatives in a highly detailed project. In close collaboration with—and support of—experts from the City of September/October 2023
PHOTOS COU RT E SY E NG LOB E .
A technical and human effort In April 2022, as soon as the snow melted, several major landslides occurred in the greater Saguenay region. The City of Saguenay mandated Englobe to carry out an in-depth analysis of several embankments to detect further risks. When the firm’s team detected major cracks in an embankment in La Baie, aggravated by intense rains comparable to those of the 1971 Saint-Jean-Vianney disaster, it immediately recommended a preventive evacuation of eight residences and 30 inhabitants. From there began an investigation campaign, led by Englobe, the city and the Quebec ministry of transportation’s geotechnics and geology department. On June 13, 2022, a landslide occurred in La Baie and a regional state of emergency was declared, with the urgent evacuation of 21 additional
