Heavy rainfall overwhelms sewer systems in North Ogden

NORTH OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) — Heavy rainfall over the past day and increased sump pump usage has overloaded the sewer systems in North Ogden.

North Ogden City posted on social media that they were experiencing high sewer levels due to the heavy rain. The city received a total of 3.1 inches of rain in just three hours, which placed additional strain on the sewer systems.

“It was thunder and lightning and hard rain, which is unusual for Ogden,” resident Dennis Miller said. 

Sump pumps are used to remove water that has accumulated in sump basins within people’s basements or crawl spaces. The city that they understand that people have to use their sump pumps to prevent flooding in their basements, but they requested that citizens drain them at the curb or storm drain.

The city said that residents should not be draining their sump pumps into showers, bathtubs, toilets, or sinks.

They also asked residents to try to avoid using large amounts of water for a few hours. If you can, wait to run your washing machine, dishwasher, or take a bath so that the sewer system can recover.

“We’re not asking you to stop all sewer use, just please reduce where possible to help prevent further backups,” the city wrote on social media.

“All the infrastructure here is trash,” resident Mitchell Sbensko told ABC4.

Earlier this morning, there was flooding near Washington Blvd and Harrisville Rd in Ogden, and it disrupted morning commutes.

One Ogden resident recounted their experience this morning. “My truck drove through it and it was kind of deep to where my tires were submerged in the water,” Jazz Terkelson said. “If the potholes don’t get fixed and the water fills them up, then you can’t see the potholes and don’t know they’re there until it’s too late.”

According to ABC4’s 4Warn Weather Team, more scattered showers and thunderstorms are on deck for northern Utah, so it may take time for North Ogden’s sewer systems to recover, and more flooding is possible.