ASTORIA, Ore. - The town of Astoria, Ore., is keeping a constant watch on a stretch of land that has been sliding downhill at a rate of about an inch a day since last January.

Geotechnical engineers say it is unlikely the 600 million pounds of earth and debris will suddenly give way but monitoring the threat has cost the town $300,000 so far, The Los Angeles Times reports.

"One weekend in March we had a lot of rain, and the road dropped 8 to 10 feet," says Ken Cook, public works director for Astoria.

Cook says a Victorian house at the top of the hill that is right on the slide zone used to have another house next door but that house slid away in 1954.

The hillside has a commanding view of the Columbia River, but after 18 homes were damaged in an earlier landslide, redevelopment has been banned.

The town is waiting to see whether it qualifies for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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