Búðargil – avalanche defenses

More about the project

Above the northern part of the village lies Búðargil, both deep and steep. A large part of the settlement in Bíldudalur stands on the alluvial cone below the ravine. In the history of the settlement, floods of water, mud, and slush from the ravine have been frequent and several avalanches are also recorded.  It is believed that the greatest risk of avalanches in Bíldudalur occurs when snow falls from the top of the mountain into the catchment areas.

Work on the preliminary inspection of the defenses below Búðargil began in the fall of 2004 in connection with mining for land filling for a calcareous marine algae factory in Bíldudalsvogur. Mining from the alluvial cone was arranged so that the material could be used as part of avalanche defenses in the area.

A proposal for avalanche defenses below Búðargil is based on the construction of a 300-meter-long levee to receive avalanches from the ravine and direct them northward through the settlement and into the sea. Material for the levee will be taken from the alluvial cone below the ravine and with the mining, a chute for avalanches will be formed along the levee. The upper part of the dam is the highest, about 20 meters above the bottom of the avalanche chute, and is designed to be steep on the avalanche side of that section. Materials generated by mining from the avalanche chute has also been used for land filling in Bíldudalsvogur. Thus, the chute will be dug deeper into the alluvial cone than would otherwise have been the case.

The bottom part of the cutting bank of the avalanche chute will also be raised in a short section, in order to limit the spread of avalanches to the north where the chute ends.