1996 Leveens Creek Debris Flow

"'Leveens Creek' today is an un-named creek (according to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names) which drains the 'gully' between St. Peter's Dome on the west and Yeon Mountain on the east. It is approximately 1.5 miles in length."

"In 1996, a devastating flash flood hit parts of Dodson, destroying the home of Hershel and Carol (Bucher) Royse, among other damage. Fortunately, the couple was able to evacuate their home minutes before the slide hit. The former home, which sits... tilted among the rocks and flood debris, is a depressing sight."

"In February 1996, a series of massive debris flows, resulting from the same severe weather that caused flooding in the Willamette Valley, occurred between Dodson and Warrendale, destroying homes and blocking the railroad and I-84 for several days.[11][12] A portion of the land slide area has been given to the Friends of the Columbia Gorge land trust, which has plans to open the area to the public.[13]"

Jeff, Dodson, Oregon

On February 8, 1996 a massive landslide gave way on the south side of the valley. Actually it began the day before with slides coming down all over the gorge. It had been raining hard for several days. The snow had melted at the top of the cliff which was unusual, adding even more water. Around noon on February 8th, a 2,000 feet vertical cliff gave way. The earth shook as the huge wall of mud, water, rocks and trees roared down toward Carol & Hersh Royse’s farmhouse on the frontage road along Highway 84. They ran out in the front yard, crawled through the board fence and down through the field to the frontage road.

The slide engulfed the farmhouse, filling the basement and first floor with water, mud and rocks up to the kitchen counter tops and tore out the living room on the west side. It pushed their earth stove about 100 feet out in front of the house. Four to 15 feet of mud, boulders and trees completely covered their property down to the Frontage Road.

George A. Freitag, POST-1996 DEBRIS FLOW EROSION AND SEDIMENTATION, TUMALT CREEK DRAINAGE, MULTNOMAH COUNTY, OREGON

Bonneville School, located on the alluvial fan at elevation 55 m and about 1,500 m northwest of the steep gorge slopes, incurred damage to fencing and partial burial of the school’s parking area with muddy debris from an overflow lobe. The Bonneville School District subsequently retained GRI to evaluate the potential for future debris flows to affect the school. GRI observed that subsequent erosion in the main channel of the debris flow stranded the initial overflow lobe, which provided additional catchment space for subsequent flows and diminished the immediate hazard to the school. GRI provided recommendations for debris flow risk management procedures to the school district.

An upstream reconnaissance of the Tumalt Creek drainage in 1996 documented areas with sharp, V-shaped channels, erosion and exposure of older debris flow deposits, and large transported boulders up to 3 m in diameter. Re-examination of these areas in 2002 documented channel migration patterns, redistribution of channel sediment, erosion of channel side slopes, and stream downcutting. Alder regrowth and other vegetation patterns also provide useful markers for the 1996 erosional and depositional surface. Several examples of comparative ground photography from 1996 and 2002 will be presented and reviewed.

The school was closed in late 1996 in response to long-term changes in student enrollment patterns, not because of the debris flow hazard.

2001 Debris Flow

"...the creek drainage located right at I-84 freeway exit #35. This creek drainage was the scene of a November 2001 landslide that buried the side road and part of the exit ramp in mud, thus making access to the St. Peter's / Mystery Pillars area easily available for several years until the young Alder saplings quickly regrew in the drainage."

In this imagery from Google Earth, the Royse farm house and other structures are visible in the lower left corner, slowly being consumed by the forest over the years... The first image is from 1993, before either slide.

First the effects of the 1996 Leveens Creek slide becomes visible, then the 2001 slide appears on the next creek over to the west.

1996 Slide

2001 Slide

2017 Eagle Creek Fire

Links

Portland State University Page on the 1996 Event:

http://geomechanics.geol.pdx.edu/Projects/Dodson/index.html

Follow the link below for some great before and after photos of the farmhouse.

Waymarking.com: Massive Landslide, Dodson, Oregon

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM16PD_Massive_Landslide_Dodson_Oregon

Portland Hikers: The Landslide House

http://www.portlandhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=10862

Portland State University Page on the 2001 Event:

http://geomechanics.geol.pdx.edu/Projects/Dodson/2001_Flow/default.html

CLICK HERE to continue exploring the highway