Geotechnical Project

Cielo Vista development is located immediately east of the City of Yorba Linda, north of Stonehaven Drive & Via De Agua, and east of Dorinda Road. In general, the original site topography consists of two north-south trending ridges, bounded by drainages on the west, east, and north. Blue Mud Canyon is located in the eastern portion of the site. The project consists of about 74 single-family homes on a 34-acre site. The project challenges included: Surgical grading of about one million cubic yards, Evaluating the location and impact of the Whittier Fault, Mitigating Liquefaction of alluvial deposits, and Crossing over a 9-foot diameter MWD pipeline to access the site. The design and construction of the Cielo Vista development provided unique geotechnical challenges that required an analytical approach to these hurdles, including: fault study partially without datable sediments, seismic hazard analyses and design adjacent to an active fault, and three-dimensional finite element analyses of conditions within an easement of the Metropolitan Water District for bridge design and MWD approval of the project.