ALTON — A mudslide occurred around 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, at Riverview Park in Alton, prompting city officials to assess the damage and consider future stabilization efforts. The incident did not damage the nearby Abbott facility in Alton but resulted in a collection of significant debris and the loss of old trees near the business.
Mike Parsons, the public works director for Alton, reported that the mudslide has closed off certain areas of the park while crews work to clean up the debris.
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"We are looking at all options now as these incidents seem to be happening more frequently," he said.
City personnel plan to clear the collection of trees and debris as early as Wednesday.
Lyndsey Younger, the interim Alton Park and Rec Director, said: "The mudslide affected the sidewalk that connects the parking lot to the Riverview wall, creating a no-trespassing zone to ensure public safety. However, the road near Riverview Park remains open, as it is situated further down from the area where the new retaining wall was installed."
With the snow-covered bluffs, frozen ground, and abundant sunshine melting the snow over recent days, soil and vegetation along the Riverview Park bluffs have become soft and unstable.
The most recent mudslide occurred behind Abbott Machine shop, similar to the one that happened back in early November of 2024 after a large rain event. These smaller landslides are not near the magnitude of the event that occurred in January 2020, but out of an abundance of caution, the section of Riverview Park near the decorative concrete wall and wrought iron fencing has been closed to the public and will remain off limits until further notice.
Justin Kleinschmidt, Vice President and Shareholder at Sheppard, Morgan, and Schwaab, Inc., which conducts engineering work for the city, noted that the hillside is prone to some instability because of the freeze-thaw cycles.
Kleinschmidt indicated that discussions regarding potential repairs are underway, but the costs and direction of those efforts remain uncertain.
While the recent mudslide is less severe than a previous incident that resulted in the collapse of a sidewalk and retaining wall, the city is still faced with challenges in managing the affected areas.
The city is expected to continue monitoring the situation as weather conditions evolve, particularly with the potential for further freeze and thaw cycles impacting the ground stability.