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TAYLORSVILLE -- As water levels continue to rise around the state, residents of the Callaway Apartment complex are tired of fighting an uphill battle as they pump out flood waters that keep coming back.
City engineers say the problem is a combination of several backed up storm drains, in addition to the increasing waters of the Jordan River.
"As the river gets higher, our storm drains drain into the river, so it has nowhere to go," said Chantell O'donnell, Callaway apartment manager. "It's the easiest flow, so it comes right up."
The only way to stop waters from backing up, officials say, is to block off city manholes.
I'm surprised that it's taken so long to get the sandbags going. Probably should have been doing it a month ago. Seems like they wait for the flooding to start, to start filling sandbags.
–Raelynne Harper-Smith
But for nearby residents, running pumps throughout the night has become a losing effort, as more water continues to flow into their homes.
Members of Taylorville's Community Emergency Response Team quickly answered a call for help early Friday morning to the Callaway apartments, helping residents pack bags and build a barrier around bottom-floor units.
"I'm surprised that it's taken so long to get the sandbags going. Probably should have been doing it a month ago," said resident Raelynne Harper-Smith. "Seems like they wait for the flooding to start, to start filling sandbags."
However, Taylorville firefighters say the demand continues to increase as they coordinate sandbagging efforts around the city.
"The flooding is slowly working its way south into Salt Lake County now, and we're just gearing up for a long couple of weeks, probably," said Dave Ulibarri.
The Sorensen Business Complex along the Jordan River is also on alert as rising waters continue to threaten their property because of city storm drains.
"It's getting pretty close," said Taylorsville resident Kristin Ortega. "If it just moves a little bit more over, it's going to hit us. It's going to get into our bedroom and into our storage area and it's going to be a mess."
City engineers said they are hopeful that water levels will stay under control, but will continue to watch the rising levels and attempt to keep flood waters away from homes and businesses.
E-mail: manderson@ksl.com
