Raw sewage floods a dozen Utah homes after massive backup

Raw sewage flooded basements in a dozen Utah homes after a massive backup Wednesday.

Devin Westover, a resident impacted by the backup, said his neighbor called him to come home from work around 2 p.m.

“Not a pretty sight, and not a fun sight to come home to,” Westover said. “The smell - everything is just lost.”

Clint Jensen, general manager of Granger-Hunter Improvement District Sewer Company, said a dozen homes were impacted in the Hunter Village neighborhood near 7100 West and 3300 South Some homeowners saw a foot of septic sludge seeping through the pipes in their basements.

“We have our crews out here cleaning the debris from the lines,” Jensen said.

Utah Disaster Kleenup crews were dispatched to help speed up the cleanup process for homeowners.

While waiting for cleaning crews to arrive, Westover attempted to salvage his valuables.

“You can’t replace pictures, you can’t replace valuables from old loved ones; when it’s gone, it’s gone,” he said.

Investigators from Granger-Hunter Improvement District Sewer believe the sewage backup originated from a nearby new home construction site.

“That excavation left a sewer line open, the water that is coming from the storm has gone into the sewer line with rocks and other debris that has caused the back up,” Jensen said.

The company was still investigating the cause Wednesday night.