Landslide (Current Event)

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/standard.net/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/2d/92df2346-7067-5cc3-b167-bece0bbee2bd/5b49b68a5a358.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C674

Riverdale, Utah, is right up the road from where I graduated high school. In 2017, a landslide started and caused the evacuation of several homes. The landslide was active for several months. This picture shows the scene, where mud and debris has fallen down the slope.
https://www.standard.net/news/environment/new-aerial-video-shows-riverdale-landslide-s-alarming-progress/article_84b32243-a94b-59ba-9733-4934abbf2f9e.html
I found a second article stating that one of the landowners is suing the city. Though the landslide has basically ceased, the resident insists that the city is to blame for it. The lawsuit claims that its pipe leaks that are behind the damages. Meanwhile, geologists say that the landslide is due to natural springs.
https://www.standard.net/news/government/riverdale-property-owners-sue-blame-cities-for-landslide-threatening-homes/article_81b2da8d-1e07-54c7-aa86-96dfb937e2dc.html
In our reading this week, we read about landslides and what can cause them. Figure 9.21 gives a perfect diagram of what Riverdale's landslide looks like. Water collects in the soil, and without drains and sufficient vegetation, the water turns the land into a soggy mass.
The articles and reading helped me to ask myself, is this slide one that could have been prevented by the city by placing drains? Is the city to blame? Or was vegetation cleared by residents, thus weakening the soil's hold? What do you think?