37. Saguenay Risk Management

The city of Saguenay, in the province of Quebec, is located in an area with a hilly topography and where sensitive marine clays are predominant. The slopes throughout the city are either former riverbanks or scarps of old large retrogressive landslides and their height can vary from a few meters to dozens of meters. Although the toe of these slopes is no longer subject to erosion, they can still be affected by shallow landslides. The spreading debris of such landslides is a threat to buildings located at the toe of slopes and thus a significant hazard for the safety of residents. This article presents the approach developed jointly by the Government of Quebec and the city of Saguenay to manage the risks associated with this hazard. Following the mapping of landslide prone areas, risk analyses allowed to bring out areas most exposed to shallow landslides. An annual inspection program was implemented in 2007 by the city of Saguenay and allowed on numerous occasions to detect early signs of landslides and take preventive action, in the form of stabilization work. This program has considerably reduced the risk to the population.