HomeMy WebLinkAboutBLD2001-00062 geo tech KA No. 102-01036
May , 01
• • Page30 No.20 71
soils will be subject to erosion. Erosion of the exposed soils will be most noticeable during periods of
rainfall and may be controlled by the use of normal erosion control measures, i.e., silt fences, hay bales,
mulching, control ditches or diversion trenching, and contour furrowing.
By ordinance requirement a native vegetation buffer is required from the edge of all slopes that are
• geologically hazardous areas. It is our opinion that a vegetation buffer having a minimum width of 30
feet should be maintained parallel to the top of the south facing slopes below the building site. This
setback is shown on Figure 2. In addition to the maintenance of buffer we recommend that all disturbed
areas be replanted as soon as possible after construction is complete. It is our opinion that the vegetation
buffer may be comprised of native vegetation and properly designed and installed landscaping. However,
the portion of the buffer comprised of native vegetation should not be reduced to less than 10 feet in
width along the indicated top of the slope.
The following site preparation and foundation design recommendations are provided to aid in minimizing
potential erosion and landslide damage risks and should be incorporated into site planning, design and
construction.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Site Preparation and Grading
Water Related Concerns: Only minor storm water related problems are anticipated if site grading and
preparation are undertaken during the normally drier portions of the year. If site work is undertaken
during wet weather the near surface sands and silty soils may become over-saturated and temporarily
unworkable. If the site work is undertaken during wet weather the contractor should be fully prepared to
deal with possible elevated water levels in addition to other soil and water problems normally
encountered in these materials during wet weather work including the filtering of runoff, as needed, to
prevent the siltation of down slope areas. It should be anticipated that silt fences and other erosion
control devices could be used to control sediment transport off the site.
Depending upon the final site grades and weather conditions it is possible that areas of perched water or
seeps may develop in some areas. In that we are unable to predict where or when this might occur we
recommend that any development of springs or seeps be treated as a construction maintenance problem.
The contractor should be prepared to deal with any water-related problems during construction. Water
seepage can cause failure of the excavation walls and the contractor should be observant for possible
cave-in or other hazardous conditions and provide shoring for all cuts and excavations in accordance with
local, state, and federal regulations.
1 Krazan &Associates,Inc.
Offices Serving The Western United States
KA No. 102-01036
• May 30, 2001
Page No. 8
Development Recommendations: Under all buildings, pavements and fill areas, it is recommended that all
?' sod, organic soil, and debris is removed. Over most of the site it is anticipated that a stripping depth of 12
inches will be adequate. However, localized deeper stripping depths may be required to remove tree root
balls.
Stripped soils, contaminated with organics or debris, should be wasted off site or used in landscape areas.
4:4 Stripped soils free of organics and debris may be used as structural fill subject to the following
considerations.
Following stripping of the site and prior to the placement of any fill, the exposed subgrade should be
proof rolled to a firm, unyielding condition using suitability sized equipment. Compaction of the stripped
subgrade should be continued until field density tests in soil areas show that a minimum compaction of
95% of the maximum dry density, as determined by ASTM method D-1557, has been achieved in the top
12 inches of subgrade beneath all building, driveway, and parking areas. In areas of bedrock exposure the
architect, engineer, geologist or other qualified person should inspect the subgrade to confirm adequacy
and absence of excessive amounts of disturbed/loose material. Any soft or weaving areas disclosed
during proof rolling should be excavated and replaced with compacted structural fill.
With the exception of driveway side slopes, it is recommended that permanent cut slopes not exceed 2H:
1 V (50%). Fill slopes should not be steeper than 2H:1 V (50%) for fill placed in accordance with the
requirements of appendix chapter 33 of the Uniform Building Code(1997 edition) or 3 to 4H:I V (33%to
25%) for uncontrolled fills of moderate quality material. In areas where steeper slopes are required,
retaining structures should be provided. In areas where fills are to be made on slopes steeper than 5H:1V
the subgrade should be benched and prepared in accordance with UBC (1997) requirements prior to fill
placement. Benches should be cut at a maximum vertical height of 24 inches. It should be anticipated
that, if steeply cut, the more granular near surface soils may be subject to caving, and sloughing will
occur as the soils are exposed to drying. All temporary cuts and excavations should be sloped or shored
in accordance with local, state and federal requirements.
Areas which are to be filled to bring the building or pavement grades up to the desired elevations should
be filled with compacted granular material free from roots, trash or other deleterious'materials. During
wet weather most of the on site soils are not expected to be suitable for use as fill. These soils are
sufficiently fined grained, such that with the addition of small quantities of water they become overly
saturated and are difficult or impossible to compact to the desired density. As a result, we recommend
Krazan& Associates,Inc.
Offices Serving The Western United States
• KA No. 102-01036
May 30,2001
Page No. 9
grading and preparation
be undertaken and completed during dry weather. If grading in
that all site we recommend that all excavated soilbe
orpavement areas is necessary during wet weather,
� building placed on slopes or under buildings or
removed from the site and that materials used as structural fill (fill article size of 3 inches and not more
gravel with a maximum p
sandy
' pavements) consist of free draining than 5.0% fines, material passing a U.S. No. 200 sieve. All imported fill material should conform to the
above recommendation regardless of the weather.
approximately 8 inches in loose thickness, conditioned to a
All structural fill should be placed in layers P acted to 95% of the maximum dry density as
action, and comp
_ moisture content suitable for compa
ction,
determined by ASTM D-1557. Field density tests should be made at a frequency adequate to assure that
the required compaction is achieved.
-u of ground water or storm runoff in the soils adjacent to the residence,
the
! To preclude the possible build p laced, perforations down,
is recommended that a four inch diameter perforated, rigid pipe be p
outside of the building foundation at the footing subgrade elevation. All of the drainage syse should
om the
anyaccumulated water away
bedded in a drainage sand and gravel and designed to carry structure to an aPPP ting drains
ro riate discharge area. Roof drainage should not be connected o the
lfcfoot d at least
but mayuse the same outfall piping provided that the connection between a sys drain.
water from backing up into the footing
10 feet down grade of the house and designed to prevent
1 All runoff from roofs, s and hard surfaced areas should be intercepted,
co
II
llected
llec to d
and
driveways, patio
do
disposed of away from structure
s and site slopes, and discharged where the water will not effectorm Ovate
'' Specific recommendations for and design of a s
slope structures, slopes, walls or pro Perties.
osay re aced by other consultants fully
disp
1 s stem are beyond the scope of our services and should be eo tchnical perspective tight lining
familiar with design and discharge requirements. However, from a g I
of the collected water to an infil
tration system located on the flatter slopes to the east of the building site,
near the present shed,would be an acceptable means of disposal.
Ealing-Si-Wig topof slope setback and foundation
of structures we recommend that the following P
For the sitingproposed building
be maintained. From the indicated top of the south facing slobs k belowof the feet be maintained.
embedmentsite shown
of slope se
site shown on Figure 2 we recommend that a minimum should bottom a minimum of 18 inches below the
a����y, all footings on gentle slopes
lowest adjacent exterior grade and 12 inches below the lowest interior grade. Footings on or within
of 10
is a minim
to es steeper than 15% should be designed so that the bottom of the footing
36
feet of s p
Krazan&Associates,Inc.
Offices Serving The Western United States
KA No. 102-01036
• , May 30,2001
Page No. 10
inches below the lowest adjacent exterior finished grade and a minimum of 60 inches back of the finished
soil slope face.
,
4 For foundations bearing on the medium dense to dense in situ soils a preliminary allowable soil bearing
14.
capacity of 1,800 psf may be used. Additional foundation design considerations should be in accordance
with Uniform Building Code requirements, as modified by local codes and regulations, in effect at the
time of construction, for structures within seismic zone 3 as defined by the Uniform Building Code
(1997) or the UBC seismic zone in effect at the time of construction. It is recommended that all
foundation excavations be inspected by Krazan & Associates, prior to placing concrete, to verify that the
bearing surface has been properly cleaned,prepared and soil conditions are as anticipated. All foundation
subgrade areas should be recompacted following excavation. Bearing surfaces should be firm and free of
sloughed or water-softened soil.
Preliminary Cast-In-Place Retaining and Subsurface Wall Recommendations
The following earth pressures and preliminary design values are provided for cast-in-place retaining and
subsurface walls up to ten feet in height. It is recommended that foundations for all retaining structures
and subsurface walls be designed and constructed as previously described under the Foundation Design
section of this report.
Retaining and subsurface walls should be designed for an active equivalent fluid pressure of 35 pcf,if the
top of the wall is allowed to deflect,assuming a horizontal ground surface behind the wall. If the top of
the wall is restrained an equivalent fluid pressure of 50 pcf is recommended. Active or at rest pressures
will need to be increased for sloping ground or surcharge loads behind the wall. Ultimate passive
pressures for retaining structures,considering a horizontal ground surface,will be 150 pcf. Passive
pressures will need to be reduced for a sloping ground condition in front of the wall. Additional
resistance to sliding can be developed through base friction. A coefficient of friction between the footing
• and soil of 0.32 should be used. An appropriate safety factor should be applied to the above resistive
values when calculating resistive values.
1
J The above-recommended pressures do not include the effects of hydrostatic pressure on the wall as they
assume a drained condition exists. The maintenance of a dewatered/drained condition behind all retaining
1 structures is required for the above values to be valid. The following drain system and backfill
requirements are recommended.
Krazan&Associates,Inc.
Offices Serving The Western United States
KA No. 102-01036
• May 30, 2001
Page No. 11
A longitudinal subdrain with a minimum diameter of 4 inches should be constructed at the footing
elevation behind the walls. This drain should be constructed of a 4-inch diameter perforated pipe laid
perforations down, bedded in an eighteen-inch envelope of free-draining sand and gravel. This system
should be sloped to drain and the water disposed of in the storm drainage system. Clean-outs should be
provided at bends and convenient intervals, so that the drainage system can be maintained in a well-
functioning condition. Flexible plastic piping(such as corrugated ADS-type piping) should not be used
•
behind the wall. Roof and parking area drainage systems should not be connected to the wall subdrain
system, but may utilize the same tight-line outfall well away from the wall.
All wall backfill over the gravel envelope should consist of clean, free-draining, well-graded sand and
gravel containing less than 2.0% fines (material passing an U.S. No. 200 sieve). This material should
extend out from the rear wall face a minimum of eighteen inches. The free-draining backfill should be
placed to the surface in paved areas or to within eighteen inches of the surface in non-paved areas.
Backfill should be compacted as recommended above for fills. In non-paved areas, the final eighteen
inches of backfill should consist of topsoil or native materials firmly tamped into place.
•
Construction Considerations
As a preliminary guideline for temporary cuts less than 10 feet in height we recommend temporary slopes
be made no steeper than 1.5H: 1V for the loose to medium dense silty soils and 1H: 1V in the dense soils.
For temporary cut slopes over 10 feet in height we recommend temporary slopes no steeper than 2H:1 V
for the full height of the cut. Temporary slopes or excavations should be benched as required by safety
•
regulations in effect at the time of construction. These temporary slope recommendations are for native
soils and fill materials; flatter slopes may be required in wet weather or if soil conditions other than those
•
previously described are encountered. The contractor should be aware that slope height, slope inclination,
and excavation depths (including utility trench excavations) should in no case exceed those specified in
•
local, state, or federal safety regulations; e.g., OSHA Health and Safety Standards for Excavations, 29
CFR Part 1926, or successor regulations. Such regulations are strictly enforced and, if not followed, the
* owner, the contractor, or the earthwork or utility subcontractors could be liable for substantial penalties.
The contractor should be made responsible for the stability of all excavations and slopes during
j construction because he is continually on site and can observe the stability of the exposed soils. In
1 addition, the contractor should be prepared to shore any unstable slope area and provide shoring as
a required by local, state, or federal laws or codes.
1
In no case should excavated soils be placed on the slope or stockpiled within the defined buffer or slope
setback areas along the steep slopes or within 20 feet of the top of any other existing or excavated slope,
Krazan&Associates, Inc.
Offices Serving The Western United States
• KA No. 102-01036
; May 30, 2001
Page No. 12
rockery or retaining structure. Failure to comply with these guidelines may lead to destabilization of the
slope.
The site soils may be easily eroded by channelized water or sheet flow storm runoff. Therefore, it is
recommended that all site preparation and excavation work be completed during the normally drier
*Y` portion of the year. During periods of heavy rainfall, ditching should be used to divert water away from
1
stripped areas and visqueen should be used to cover the slopes and soil stockpiles to aid in preventing
excessive surface erosion. This covering also aids in preventing infiltration of water into the unprotected
soils. All disturbed soil areas and slopes should be replanted with fast-growing, deep-rooted grass, shrubs
and other ground cover as soon after final grading as possible. If the vegetation is not fully established
prior to the on set of wet weather, the slopes should be covered with visqueen to aid in preventing
excessive erosion and water infiltration.
It should be anticipated that there could be a number of additional site development or construction
problems, particularly, if the earthwork has not been completed and the site properly protected at the
onset of wet weather. It is recommended that the architect, structural engineer or their representative
make periodic inspections of all excavations and slopes to provide early recognition and
recommendations.
REPORT LIMITATIONS
This report has been prepared for the exclusive use of Zane and Pam Taylor and their agents for use in
planning of the referenced development. The conclusions and recommendations in this report are based
on our interpretation of site conditions as they presently exist, anticipated future construction activities,
and the expectation that the exploratory efforts adequately define the subsurface conditions throughout
the building site. The soil conditions described in this report and the conclusions and recommendations
contained in this report are provided for this specific site only and should not be expanded for use on
adjacent properties without additional exploration and review of those sites by our firm. The data and
report should be provided to prospective contractors for their bidding or estimating purposes, but the
report conclusions and interpretations should not be construed as a warranty of the subsurface conditions.
There are possible variations in subsurface conditions. In the event that the scope or location of the
project should change or subsurface conditions different from those encountered during this study be
observed or suspected, we should be advised. At that time a review of the changed conditions will be
made, and alternative or remedial recommendations given as required.
Krazan &Associates,Inc.
Offices Serving The Western United States