Rapid assessment of abrupt urban mega-gully and landslide events with structure-from-motion photogrammetric techniques validates link to water resources infrastructure failures in an urban periphery

• Published in: Natural hazards and earth system sciences Vol. 22; no. 2; pp. 523 - 538
• Main Authors: Gudino-Elizondo, Napoleon, Brand, Matthew W, Biggs, Trent W, Hinojosa-Corona, Alejandro, Gómez-Gutiérrez, Álvaro, Langendoen, Eddy, Bingner, Ronald, Yuan, Yongping, Sanders, Brett F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Katlenburg-Lindau Copernicus GmbH 16.02.2022; Copernicus Publications
• Subjects: Analysis; Aquatic resources; Assessments; Canyons; Earth; Earth surface; Failures; Gullies; Gully erosion; Hazards; Hydraulic jets; Hydraulics; Infrastructure; Infrastructure (Economics); Landslides; Landslides & mudslides; Mass movement; Methods; Photogrammetry; Rain; Rainfall; Saturation; Sediments; Sediments (Geology); Socioeconomic factors; Soil erosion; Storms; Urban areas; Urban environments; Urbanization; Water pipelines; Water resources; Water supply; Watersheds; Mexico
• ISSN: 1684-9981; 1561-8633; 1684-9981
• DOI: 10.5194/nhess-22-523-2022

Mass movement hazards in the form of mega-gullies and landslides pose significant risks in urbanizing areas, yet they are poorly documented. To obtain primary data on the size, frequency, and triggers of abrupt mega-gullies and landslides in urban areas, rapid assessment methods based on structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetric techniques and watershed models were developed and deployed in the Los Laureles Canyon, a rapidly urbanizing watershed in Tijuana, Mexico. Three abrupt earth surface hazards were observed over a 5-year study period including two mega-gullies and one landslide, and all were linked to a combination of rainfall and water resources infrastructure failures (WRIFs): (1) water main breaks resulted from rainfall-driven gully erosion that undermined supply lines, and the resulting water jets caused abrupt mega-gully formation; this represents one of the first studies to document this process in an urban environment; (2) antecedent saturation of a hillslope from a leaking water supply pipe contributed to an abrupt landslide during a storm event. The return period of the storms that triggered the WRIF-based earth surface hazards was ∼1–2 years, suggesting that such triggering events occur frequently. WRIF-based hazards were also a non-negligible contributor to sediment generation at the watershed scale. While the number of observed events is small, these results suggest that WRIF can, in some cases, be the single most important process generating abrupt and life-threatening earth surface hazards on the poor urban periphery. Future studies of the triggers and mechanisms of abrupt urban mega-gullies and landslides should consider the role of WRIFs in antecedent saturation and erosion by broken water supply lines.