First off I need to apologize; in my last council corner I said I would write about the history of the 15 acres. I am still getting all the facts and history together. I think it is important that it is accurate. I hope to have everything together for my next council corner.
Now what make me so mad? Lately there have been a lot of articles about Foster City not faring well in the next earthquake. Several months ago the United States Geological Survey (USGS) maps were presented to the City Council showing that Foster City was at high risk for liquefaction. We strongly opposed the report and have asked that the maps be corrected. The newspaper articles that are being written now are great for the shock factor but not accurate.
Foster City was built on engineered fill. Engineered fill is more stable than a lot of soils that are in the Bay Area. Foster City’s engineered fill was brought in from San Bruno Mountain and compacted in layers to get the best results. These maps that the geologist uses are from a few core samples and cover a large area. Foster City, for years, has been defending itself against these claims.
Now, let us step back for a minute and think back to October 17, 1989, the day the Loma Prieta earthquake hit the Bay Area. Buildings collapsed; bridges fell along with some freeways. Water mains were ruptured along with a lot of sewer lines and P.G.& E. lines coming down. We all remember these images on our televisions.
These things did not happen in Foster City. We suffered literally no damage at all. We didn’t fall out in the Bay or sink as these articles would like you to believe.
The Loma Prieta earthquake was a good test of how stable Foster City is, but it makes for better news to have us not faring well in the next earthquake.
My last point is anyone in Foster City that has tried to dig a hole to plant a tree or dig a hole for fencepost knows that our ground is hard and solid.
We are having a study session on May 1, 2006, with the United States Geological Survey at 1:30 PM. Stay tuned in for this one.
I can be reached via e-mail rcox@fostercity.org.
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