Flooding, raw sewage a nightmare in Farr West, nearby areas

Map: Google Maps

WEBER COUNTY, Utah, Feb. 11, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — North Ogden Mayor Brent Taylor sent out a message Saturday on Facebook, giving residents an update on the flooding and sewage problems in parts of Weber County.

Residents are being asked to reduce water use for 24 hours, which would be until about 3 p.m. Sunday, because of flooding of raw sewage.

According to Taylor’s post, the sewage problem is caused by illegal sump pumps, and the lift station is at 900 percent of normal.

His post states: “There is raw sewage spilling out of sewer pipes in Farr West and other lower elevation areas of Weber County. This is not from a lack of planning or anything Farr West City has done wrong — it is from hundreds of illegal sump pumps that are tapped into the sewer line to save on installation costs, instead of piping the sump pumps out to yard or the street as they should be. The problem is that these sump pumps put millions of additional gallons of water into the sewer system, and the sewer lines are not big enough for the rainwater.”

Taylor wrote that the 2700 North sewer trunk line and Lift Station One, which service North Ogden, Pleasant View, and Farr West, are currently operating at 900 percent of normal. The sewer system is being overwhelmed by the massive amount of rainwater being pumped in.

As a result, Taylor says raw sewage is backing up into dozens of homes, causing a “humanitarian disaster.”

Area residents are being asked to reduce water usage to take the strain off the sewer lines; wait to do laundry and dishes; and take shorter showers.

Anyone who has an illegal sump pump connected directly to the sewer should turn it off or at the very least reduce the use.

“And hire a contractor to properly pipe your sump pump out to the yard or road or to the city storm drain line,” Taylor says in his post. “People who live at lower elevations are paying a huge price for illegal sump pumps!”

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