Broken water main under damaged hydrant floods home in West Valley City

A broken water main caused flooding overnight in a West Valley City neighborhood. Photo: Gephardt Daily/Monico Garza/SLCScanner

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, March 9, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Home owners in West Valley City are dealing with cleanup after a water main break Thursday night, which police say is likely the result of a driver hitting a fire hydrant and snapping the water line beneath it.

Utility crews responded to the break, near 2910 South and 1585 West, at about 10:30 p.m.

“Someone had to have hit the fire hydrant and snapped it off,” Sgt. Robert Brinton, West Valley City Police, told Gephardt Daily. “It snapped off at the base, underneath the surface. We don’t have any information, what type of vehicle, no bumper, no skid marks.”

Some of the evidence may have been washed away.

“There’s so much mud and water, if there is any of that stuff, I can’t see it,” Brinton said.

Home owners told Gephardt Daily about huge amounts of water in their residences, saying they left their homes to escape 6 inches of water. As of Thursday night, reports had come in that flooding affected at least eight houses.

“Unfortunately on our end, there is no evidence we could follow up on, no leads,” Brinton said of who may have broken the water main.

“We are asking for public help, any leads,” Brinton said. As for repair costs, “Unfortunately, home owners are stuck with their own insurance, or can file something with the city to help reduce that cost.”

Brinton is hoping someone saw or heard something regarding the vehicle hitting the hydrant.

“We are doing lots of news interviews,” he said. “We are hoping something will pop up.”

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