A Black Mountain subdivision street remains closed as investigative efforts continue to determine why a retaining wall collapsed last week.
The four-tiered wall extended along the north side of Samurai Court, which remains closed due to safety concerns.
James Kay, City of Kelowna development engineering manager, said the city had a geo-technical engineer at the site last Friday to assess the possible causes behind the wall breakdown.
Related: City investigates retaining wall cave-in
“He has shared his recommendations with the insurance company involved and the city is providing additional analysis support as well as working with the wall’s original geo-technical engineer,” Kay said.
He said the house backyard where the wall predominantly collapsed was soaked with water, raising theories abut groundwater being diverted by other settlement issues or the irrigation system leaking water.
“You can see water coming out where the land gave way so we believe water was the cause behind this, it’s just figuring out where the water came from,” Kay said.
Ultimately, the property owners affected will be responsible for repairing the wall structure, which extends along Samurai Court, a wall build by the developer before some of the homes above it were built.
“We realize that this can be devastating for a homeowner to deal with from a financial standpoint, but the positive thing is nobody was hurt,” Kay said.
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