OGDEN, Utah -- It’s been almost a month, and water continues to seep into basements in an Ogden neighborhood--and it's only getting worse.
The water was first reported in two homes back on June 28, and, as of Wednesday, at least 14 homes have now experienced flooding.
The Smith family is one of the original homes to experience flooding, and they’ve had to dispose of some of the drywall from their basement that was damaged by the flooding. The Smiths said the damages have reached the point where they fear foreclosure is becoming a real possibility.
Some of the homeowners report they are pumping out more than 3,000 gallons of water each day. The water is coming in through the basement floor and walls, and every week more homes are being affected.
The severity of the flooding varies from house to house. In some cases the entire basement is covered in water, while in others it's just a crawl space.
There are two utility companies that have pipes running through this area, the City of Ogden and Pineview Water Systems. Both of them say they have conducted several tests and they are confident the water is not coming from their pipes.
"I talked with one of our consulting engineers just to review the actions we've taken and he concurs with me: Our findings so far is that it is not our lines,” said Terel Grimley of Pineview Water Systems.
Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell also spoke about the issue.
"Even though Ogden City, if we show it's nothing that we've done and we're not responsible, we're still responsible for the health and well-being of everyone that lives here, so we'll stay partners with them and work on finding a resolution for it,” Caldwell said.
So far, the most logical explanation from the utilities is that this is ground water. And, if that's the case, these residents just have to let nature take its course or invest in some sort of pump system to keep the water out.
Several families in the area are all working together to hire an attorney just in case they do have an opportunity to file some sort of lawsuit.
