KAYSVILLE, Utah (ABC4) — Real progress is being made in a neighborhood that was hit hard with flooding in Kaysville last week. What looked like a river running down Orchard Ridge Lane has dried up as crews continue to work round the clock to pump the mountain runoff water to a drainage basin nearby.   

“We hope this provides a little bit of relief,” said Kaysville City Public Works Director Josh Belnap.

Belnap was referring to clearing the street of running water in the Orchard Ridge subdivision. He said he hopes this will not only bring relief for crews who may now be able to go in and start the cleanup process but it will also bring some peace of mind to homeowners in the area.   

Runoff is still making its way down the mountains and to the storm drainage at the top of the neighborhood. However, the city now has two rental pumps that are diverting the water away from the homes.  

“We’ve been able to stabilize these damaged areas from getting worse so let’s start looking at how to we start moving forward,” Belnap said.

He adds that the initial response last week was to get sandbags and other mitigation tools onto the streets to prevent water from reaching the areas of the street that were damaged or collapsed.  

After that, the city could bring in pumps. Originally, Belnap explained, they hoped to have the pumps up and running on Monday. However, the pumps (which are rentals) and other equipment needed were delayed in delivery. Crews were able to get the pumps started Wednesday night.   

One pump is currently running, but if the runoff picks back up, the second can be set up and used to keep up with the increased inflow.

Each pump diverts the water through 1,000 feet of tubing to a drainage basin nearby. By Thursday afternoon, the pumping had managed to eliminate all running water from the streets.

“As temperatures pick back up and flow increase, there could be some water that does come down the street, but anything we’re able to do to reduce that amount if not, like you see now, eliminate the flows is a win,” Belnap added.  

The city will have crews on scene 24 hours a day until the possibility of snowpack runoff no longer exists. Belnap emphasized that this work is just a small step towards recovery, but is a necessary step to get all other cleanup and construction efforts underway.

As runoff season continues, he urged residents to help the city identify any other potential flooding.

“Be on the look for manholes that might have lifted or shifted,” Belnap said. “That could be a sign of an issue underground.”