Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Gene Kennedy ReportingResidents in a Cottonwood neighborhood blame a canal for their flooding problems over the weekend. The agency that manages the canal is investigating today.
The water is found utside basement doors, even under floors. Residents on Dawn Drive in Cottonwood are convinced the East Jordon Canal behind their homes is unstable and leaking. But when the Department of Public Utilities tested the water in flooded homes this summer, officials found high fluoride levels, identical to drinking water.
"It could be from water lines"
Or even from nearby Mount View Elementary, where five acres of lawn are watered regularly during summer months.
Reporter: "Do you really think water from watering a lawn could seep through that distance?"
Jeff Neirmeyer, Department of Public Utilities: "Absolutely. I've seen it on the north bench of Salt Lake City."
But remember, the homes in question are all along the canal. No homes on the opposite side of the street are experiencing flooding.
Reporter: "They're all lining this canal?
Jeff Neirmeyer, Department of Public Utilities: "That's true."
Reporter: "Coincidence?"
Jeff Neirmeyer, Department of Public Utilities: "Maybe, or there are other factors. That's why we want to do a study to make sure we're looking at all the factors."
Bottom line, no one knows where the water's coming from. Engineers have never found a leak in the canal or in the water lines. Over the last ten years, officials have made several attempts to fix the problem, only to find temporary solutions. Engineers lined the canal with clay ten years ago. That didn't solve the problem.
But now there are more engineers paying attention to the complaints. And with new tests beginning today, they hope to answer the question plaguing homeowners for more than a decade.
If they determine that it is in fact the canal that's causing the flooding, they might try lining it with concrete instead.
