Cascadia Lifelines Program

Mission

The Cascadia Lifelines Program conducts research that will allow Oregon’s lifeline providers to implement value- and cost-informed decisions to mitigate damage to Pacific Northwest infrastructure as the result of Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes.

Members

Regular Members
Bonneville Power Administration
Northwest Natural Gas
Oregon Department of Transportation
Port of Portland
Portland General Electric

Associate Members
Eugene Water and Electric Board
Portland Water Bureau
Tualatin Valley Water District

Collaborator
Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center

Interview with Scott Ashford

Oregon State Research

Background

Early methods to mitigate seismic risks in Oregon were developed for short-duration earthquakes typical of those experienced in California. The inevitable Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes are expected to last much longer, similar to those seen in Chile and Japan in recent years.

Oregon’s infrastructure was built long before the state’s seismic risk was fully understood. When a major earthquake occurs, aging infrastructure will pose major challenges to all lifeline providers, including transportation departments, electric and gas utilities, water and wastewater utilities, fuel providers, and ports. The state will suffer a debilitating loss of mobility due to the shutdown of major highways. Thousands of Oregonians will lose their lives. Estimates of what it will take to begin mitigating the seismic risk reach into the billions of dollars. Unfortunately, current economic conditions and competing priorities are such that most lifeline providers do not have the resources to address the issues.

In line with its mission as a land grant institution, Oregon State University initiated the Cascadia Lifelines Program to help organizations come together and pool limited resources. The program will enable providers to capitalize on Oregon State’s earthquake research expertise and find solutions that will improve critical infrastructure performance so it can withstand major earthquake events.

"The expected earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone is going to be the single largest natural disaster ever to face the United States."
Scott A. Ashford, Kearney Professor and Dean, College of Engineering

OHELP

The Oregon Hazard Explorer for Lifelines Program is a web-GIS tool to aid engineers in acquiring most recent available seismic data and assessing earthquake hazards in Oregon. The simple and powerful user interface requires only internet access. Data can be queried by address or latitude and longitude.

Access OHELP

"Through the Cascadia Lifelines Program and the commitment of our partners, we can build community resilience, and get our lifelines back up and running. Those lifelines are the key to saving lives, minimizing damage, and aiding in recovery of the region."
Scott A. Ashford, Kearney Professor and Dean, College of Engineering

Facilities

Oregon State University’s College of Engineering houses the largest near-shore experimental facility at an academic institution in the nation — the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory. In addition, the research facilities and laboratories available in the School of Civil and Construction Engineering are the type found at top engineering schools around the nation, and some of them are unique to only a select number of institutions around the country.

Major laboratories include:

Geotechnical Field Research Site

Geomatics Laboratories

Infrastructure Materials Labs

Structures Lab

Research

Leading researchers in the College of Engineering are collaborating across multiple disciplines to address soil liquefaction, which can lead to failure of roads, bridges, buildings, and other critical structures, landslide prediction and mitigation, cost-effective improvements to existing infrastructure, evacuation routes, and tools to plan for hazards and anticipate risks.

Major research programs include:

Resources

Cascadia Resilience Short Course

This course will provide engineering practitioners and related professionals with an in-depth understanding of hazards posed by the Cascadia Subduction Zone and identify effective solution technologies to build more resilient communities.

July 14, 2016, 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Kearney Hall, Oregon State University
Information and Registration