The City of Saskatoon and the University of Saskatchewan are partnering on a research project to improve the ability to predict where there may be slope instability along the riverbank. Geological Sciences professor, Dr. Sam Butler, says right now, the City uses bore holes to monitor the depth of the groundwater, and then they can look at how the holes tilt over time to see how it’s moving.

The research team is proposing geophysical methods where you don’t have to drill or dig. One method uses electrical resistivity. Dr. Butler explains that electrodes are put in the ground and currents injected between them to measure the voltages because each type of material, whether it’s clay, silt, or sand, would have a different measurement. That way you can create an image of the different layers.  The research is being done on the east riverbank below Saskatchewan Crescent East between 15th and 16th Street, where the City did some remediation work back in 2016 because of slumping.

A second method would measure naturally occurring voltage differences between spots in the ground to get an idea of how the groundwater is moving, which Butler explains helps to understand why the riverbank can become unstable. The third method is measuring the vibrations, mostly caused by the traffic noise.

Butler says the sound waves travel through the ground and by looking at the waves, you can get a better image of what is beneath the surface and the strength of the materials. The funding for this project comes from Research Junction, which is a partnership between the City and USask.