A property owner has filed a claim against the city of Redlands because he says the “Mission Zanja Channel” is creating a sinkhole under his building.
Joe Miller first noticed a small sinkhole in the parking lot by the footing of his building on West State Street in 2019, according to the November 2020 claim. The city repaired it after being notified.
When contacted by phone, Miller said he would refer questions to his attorney. The attorney had not responded by midday Friday, however.
In early 2020, a larger sinkhole opened up on the south side of the property, and the city laid down a 4-by-6-foot patch, per the claim.
At that time separation was noticed occurring within the structure, but because the building “has been there a long time, cracks in the walls are not unusual,” the claim notes.
A structural engineer assessed the damage and said the cause was the shifting of soil under the property caused by the channel.
The claim notes “there is some question as to the actual nature of the water facility,” stating the city refers to it by multiple names including the “Mission Zanja Channel.”
More than one man-made water course runs down West State Street including the city’s historic, partly paved over, Mill Creek Zanja, constructed in 1819; and the oft-confused Mission Storm Water Ditch, which was built during the Great Depression, according to a 2013 column by historian Tom Atchley.
The city also hired an engineering contractor to assess the damage, which did not find any structural failures of the channel, but could not conclusively rule out the possibility that soil movement was contributing to surface damage, according to a report to the City Council.
The council on Tuesday, March 16, approved a contract not to exceed $206,875 for engineers to further assess the condition of the channel and the public and private pipes that discharge into it.
Debris in the pipes “suggests that they may be compromised outside the MZC,” the report to the council reads. Structural failures in the pipes could draw debris in during storms, creating exterior voids, according to the report.
Engineers will survey surface areas, clean pipes discharging into the channel, inspect their interiors with a mobile camera, and excavate from the surface to determine repair recommendations if needed. A report on findings is expected in three months.
This isn’t the first time there has been trouble under foot.
Significant rainfall in 2010 led to a sinkhole and structural cracking in the building next door, which is located directly above the channel, per the city report.
According to the claim, “the foundation essentially fell into the Mission Zanja Channel after a major storm event.”
The city determined that the channel had been “damaged during the storm, causing erosion and migration of exterior soils, and that this movement of soils caused the damage to the building,” according to the report to the council. The city fixed the channel and paid for the repairs to the building.
Though the 2020 claim does not list an exact figure sought for damages, the number is expected to be above $10,000.
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Claim alleges ‘Zanja’ causing sinkholes around Redlands building - Redlands Daily Facts
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