New major flooding concern caused by groundwater

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RIVERDALE -- Flooding is causing problems all across the state. But in many areas, it's not the rivers and creeks that has people concerned: It's the groundwater.

People along the banks of the Weber River are on edge after water flooded their basements overnight, and the worst may be yet to come.

The Weber River is big, scary and moving fast -- and it's jumped its banks. But it's not the big problem yet for homeowners, who are simply dealing with an insanely high water table.

The bulk of the flooding in many areas is coming from the ground up.

In one Riverdale neighborhood, six homes have taken on water and giant pumps are sucking it out of basements.

Heidi Hymas took KSL through her flooded house. The water is gone now from her basement, but the carpet has to come up and 4 feet of wall has to go. She doesn't want to deal with the mold.

But the damage is staying for the next few weeks, because the flooding threat isn't going anywhere.

"We're really concerned because the water's only going to rise, and this is only groundwater. This is not the water from the river yet," Hymas said.

Just up the road, neighbor Skyla Pace expressed the same concern. Her basement is wet, her backyard is a mess and she's really just hoping her home doesn't sink.

"My biggest worry is, this not holding and the river getting higher, and then the river will be in my basement completely," she said. "We're sittin' on water. They told me last night our house is like a sponge right now. We're sittin' on a sponge and it's just coming up."

Email: aadams@ksl.com