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Samantha Hayes reporting We sure need the rain, but once the ground is saturated, many people living on the benches start to worry about mudslides.
We talked to neighbors where it has happened once, and may happen again.
Lots of rain,.record totals in some areas. Farmington has had 2 and 1/4 inches. Major engineering projects that were finished this fall are supposed to redirect the mud.
Curt Vernon did a lot of landscaping.
Curt Vernon, Farmington Homeowner: “If you look to the right here we put about 8,000 square feet of sod down on this property since that time."
He's talking about last spring, when a cloud burst soaked the mountain side above his neighborhood.
Mud and rocks came loose, and ended up in front yards.
The city, state, and federal government together spent about a million dollars on a long term solution. Deep trenches were created to move mud and debris away from the path of homes. A pipeline carries excess water to a catch basin, where it is drained slowly into Farmington Creek.
So far, engineers say its working.
Kay Shurtz, Forest Service Engineer: “I think its doing very well, there's really no accumulation of water in the basin at all at this point."
But from the perspective of some people living here, its hard to believe it won't happen again.
Curt Vernon, Farmington Homeowner: “ A lot of rock up there is loose, a lot of mud is loose and its raining a lot now. Do I expect mud to come on down? Yes I do. Its just a matter of when."
City workers say they will be checking the area throughout the night.
