A geotechnical engineer and an engineering geologist staff the City of Cincinnati Geotechnical Office. The Geotechnical Office is part of the Structures Section of the Engineering Division. The primary function of the Geotechnical Office is to provide geotechnical expertise concerning landslide stabilization and prevention within the public right-of-way and other property controlled by the city. The geotechnical staff is available for consultation with all city agencies. Inquires from the public regarding any observed slope instability within the right-of-way should be directed to Richard E. Pohana, Engineering Geologist at telephone number 352-5278.

Earth stability of private hillside development is under the control of the Department of Buildings and Inspections through the excavation and filling of land regulations of the Cincinnati-Ohio Basic Building Code. The direct responsibility for the administration of the regulations is performed by the Building Plans Examiners in conjunction with their review of plans for building permits.

The geotechnical staff assists the plan examiners in their review of projects in landslide sensitive areas as defined by the  1980 Cincinnati Landslide Susceptibility Study. The staff also reviews developments in Environmental Quality Hillside Districts (EQHD) for the Planning and Zoning Department. It is the responsibility of the geotechnical staff to assure that each geotechnical investigation, and the resulting report, adequately addresses the geologic conditions and that the conclusions and recommendations are reflected in the design plans. If a geotechnical report is not submitted, the staff recommends whether the applicant needs to retain a geotechnical consultant. The review typically includes an independent site inspection.

The staff has completed engineering geologic and relative stability mapping of the East End Riverfront Development for the Department of City Planning and of the Sycamore Hill Area in Mt. Auburn for the Department of Neighborhood Housing. These analyses present geotechnical and geological information such as boundaries of individual landslide masses, location of known test borings, man-made excavations, bedrock units, and surface deposits on engineering geologic maps. A relative stability map is derived from the engineering geologic map. The relative stability map classifies areas of ground with respect to slope stability, explains the expected engineering behavior of the materials in each category and gives recommendation for further geotechnical study prior to development. This information is presented in descriptive terms that are meaningful to nontechnical users. A written report which further explains the information presented on the engineering geologic and relative stability maps, including the logs of all test borings identified, is prepared for each study area. The staff is currently assisting a University of Cincinnati graduate student prepare an engineering geologic and relative stability study of the East Price Hill area. These studies are available for review by the public by contacting Richard E. Pohana, Engineering Geologist at telephone number 352-5278.

The Cincinnati Area Geographic Information System (CAGIS). CAGIS has evolved to the point where the staff will begin to organize, store and link subsurface and landslide information to the system. Locations of areas of instability, both public and private, identified in city files are currently plotted on City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Topographic Maps and on USGS 7.5 minute quadrangles and are also available for review by the public.

The following three online publications provide a general description of the occurrence of landslides in the Greater Cincinnati Area:

Landslides of The Cincinnati, Ohio, Area Overview of Landslide Problems, Research, and Mitigation, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2059-A

Geologic Perspectives-- The Cincinnati Example ( Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)

Landslides Along Columbia Parkway ( Part 1, Part 2)

Additional references regarding landslides and the geology of the Greater Cincinnati area provided in the following document:
References.

Further information on landslides is available online at the  U. S. Geological Society National Information Center which also includes links to additional sites on landslides.