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<br />Memo to Susan McCaaaoa <br />Tatum Residence Bxamiaatioa Protocol <br />page 2 <br />subsidence control plan, and subsidence monitoring report submitted <br />to the Division, among my other numerous duties. <br />Pre-Sxamiaation Conference <br />Prior to our examination of the Tatum residence we convened a <br />meeting of our professional staff to coordinate our activities <br />during the visit. Mike Rosenthal of the OSM Western Support Center <br />joined ue for that discussion. I verbally shared my normal <br />methodology for completing a structure investigation with the other <br />participants. I purposely asked that the results of previous <br />diagnostic investigations not be shared with me, in order to remain <br />unbiased in formulating my eventual technical opinion. <br />Investigation Methodology ("Study Protocol") <br />Structure Examination <br />My structure investigation methodology is similar, regardless of <br />the particular phenomena under suspicion as causing the structural <br />distress. My methodology consists of a careful examination of the <br />structure. The purpose is to document any symptoms of structural <br />distress; including structural stress (cracking, settlement, <br />unloading, window breakage, door and window misalignment, etc.), <br />cosmetic deterioration (plaster cracking, paint peeling, <br />discoloration, etc.), and substandard or abnormal construction <br />practices (material inadequacies, bad construction techniques, <br />grading practices, etc.). I complete as thorough an examination as <br />possible, depending upon the access afforded to me. Because it is <br />particularly informative to determine whether the symptoms <br />manifested are related to the influence of external influences, it <br />is particularly important to thoroughly examine the foundational <br />system, which is the interface between the structure and its <br />geological substrate. <br />Environmental Examination <br />Having completed an examination of the subject structure, I next <br />complete an examination of the environment surrounding the <br />structure. Structural distress is normally the result of either <br />substandard construction materials or practices, deleterious <br />impacts from the surrounding environment, or human interaction. <br />For the vast majority of terrestrial structures, the surrounding <br />environment includes the geological environment and the <br />meteorological environment. <br />In the case of the Tatum residence I focused my environmental <br />examination on the immediate surrounding area of the structure. <br />