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After the riverbank slope failed in 2014, city staff ran a camera from a manhole in the street through the pipe that emerges along the slope near where the Meewasin Valley Trail used to be located, Jorgenson said.

Jorgenson said three parts of the pipe were fractured, but no erosion was detected.

“Our conclusion is that the slide broke the pipe,” he said. “It wasn’t the pipe that caused the slide.”

Jorgenson said the pipes under Saskatchewan Crescent were installed in the late 1920s. They were inspected in 2014 and continued to be inspected “as required,” Jorgenson explained.

Even if the pipes were leaking, that would not be enough water to weaken the ground sufficiently to cause the slumping, he added.

The slumping is due to the nature of the soil, the high groundwater level and the severity of the slope, Jorgenson said.

Zepp rejects this explanation.

“This is the fault of the city directly related to civic infrastructure,” Zepp said in an interview. “Nothing to do with nature.”

Zepp said if the riverbank is collapsing, there should be more holes along Saskatchewan Crescent. Jorgenson said there are numerous examples of failure along the east riverbank of the South Saskatchewan River. He said the city pays closer attention to the east bank.

Zepp’s home was more directly affected by riverbank erosion in 2012 that forced the closure of part of Saskatchewan Crescent near 17th Street for two years. That stretch cost $1.95 million to repair.

Coun. Charlie Clark, who represents the area, stressed the assessment of the damage comes from engineering firms, not the city. University of Saskatchewan hydrogeologists support the conclusion, Clark added.

ptank@postmedia.com

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