Matters related to the landslide that occurred in Pitcairn on March 9 still are far from settled.

On Monday, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released a letter saying it had found no evidence that blasting by Waste Management at its Monroeville landfill caused the landslide.

Jack Bova, Pitcairn Council president, said one family still isn't living in their Wood Street home after they noticed bowing in the home's foundation.

Contractors tore the Dicks' home down to gain better access to the site of the landslide, which threatened five other homes on Wood Street, one of which is in Monroeville.

After the slide, contractors pushed the loose earth down the hillside into trucks that took it away.

Excavation at the site is essentially done, according to Bova.

He said some minor work, such as irrigation remediation and planting of vegetation to help stabilize the hillside, still needs to be done.

Bova said the work stabilized the hillside, but "there's no guarantee of anything," adding that engineers had done the best job they could.

Repeated attempts to contact representatives of Monroeville-based Pennsylvania Soil and Rock Co., primary engineer for the project, were unsuccessful.

The letter from DEP noted that Pitcairn has had landslides for years, and not just at near the landfill.

"Slides had occurred on the hillside near the latest slide over many years, as evidenced by the curved trees in the area and slumped vegetated embankments along the abandoned Johnson Road that runs along the hillside above the slide in question," the letter said.

"Also, along the road is evidence of fractured rock that could have been a conduit for surface water that could have seeped into the subsurface."

The letter goes on to mention that naturally occurring landslide-prone areas are prevalent in and around Pitcairn.

Litigation continues in the case Monroeville and Pitcairn filed against Export-based D&B Development Co. over the degradation of Johnson Road, which is directly above the area where earth began its quick descent toward the homes.

Bova said there is no update on the litigation.

"It never goes as fast as anyone wants," he said.

That is little consolation to the Dick family, who are in turmoil about their home, which had been in the family for 102 years before it was torn down.

Cindy Dick said the couple is seeking their own legal counsel.

"We're living like gypsies," she said.

A call seeking comment from Craig Alexander, Pitcairn solicitor, was not returned by presstime.