Cleanup and flood mitigation continue after spring runoff damaged roadways on Orchard Ridge Lane. (Jeff Caplan, KSL NewsRadio)
Editors note: This article has been changed to correctly identify Chief Paul Erickson with the Kaysville Fire Department.
KAYSVILLE, Utah — Twenty homes have been evacuated as a precaution as spring runoff flooded and damaged a road in a Kaysville neighborhood Wednesday morning.
Chief Paul Erickson with the Kaysville Fire Department said crews responded to the Orchard Ridge neighborhood and began knocking on doors as floodwaters entered the neighborhood.
“We have washout on Orchard Ridge Lane, big sinkholes, sidewalk caved in,” Erickson said. “…(Water) is flowing down Orchard Ridge right now.”
Just before 9 a.m., Kaysville City officials tweeted they’d run out of sandbags and that they were closing a self-filling sandbag station at their operation center.
The city also released a statement saying that crews are still working to curb any damage in Orchard Ridge. In its statement, the city said there was currently no threat of flooding within city limits.
Meanwhile, neighbors were placing rocks and construction boards along their property to try and channel the water to the middle of the road. Authorities believe only one home at the bottom of the neighborhood has sustained some flooding damage.
Crews were working to repair a gas leak as well.
Erickson said the evacuations were precautionary. Their biggest worry is the road will completely wash out and leave vehicles stranded at the homes and hinder future evacuation efforts, which could be necessary.
“Those living along Orchard Ridge Dr, Stone House Bend and Cobblewood Ct are encouraged to get vehicles out to areas outside of the zone of impact and to stay off of these roadways,” city officials said on Facebook. “As stability of roads and infrastructure cannot be immediately determined, please stay out of the area.”
Ivory Homes, the builder of Orchard Ridge, released a statement addressing the flood.
“Our initial inspection indicates that a substantial amount of water from snowmelt accelerated by the recent warm weather inundated the city storm drain system. The volume of the water directed at the system was not anticipated by the designs approved by the city, and as a result, the water significantly undermined these new streets,” the statement read in part.
The company noted that the interiors of new homes were not impacted, and added that there’s been no private property damage.
The statement also said that Ivory Homes is helping provide thousands of sandbags to Kaysville.
The American Red Cross has opened an evacuation center at the meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 1085 N. 50 East.