Weber County Homes

Utah officials tour areas in Weber County inundated with water

OGDEN — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert toured a water-logged western Weber County on Tuesday, surveying hundreds of acres of farmland already under water and homes at risk for flooding.

"Is there anything we could have done, that we are not doing, that could have helped you?" Herbert questioned Justin Tobias, whose pastures and outbuildings are awash in flood water.

Sandbags are already lining the man's home in the Riverside subdivision in Marriott-Slaterville, and a sump pump is running continually to keep water out of the family's basement. Sandbags are piled high along the foundation of his home.

Like others along the three-stop tour, Tobias pointed to decades-old flood control engineering — reinforced berms or levees — badly in need of an overhaul along the Weber River.

One water-softened levee gave way just recently, Tobias said, "and the water just started coming up like a river."

Where there used to be the makings of a hayfield is now a pond on farmlands that were all swamped with water during the 1983 floods. While the homes may have been built on higher ground based on federal flood standards, the land sits vulnerable, stripped of its usefulness with the water only expected to rise.

Weber County officials expect it would take $22 million over a four-year period to put in protections along the Weber River  — from re-engineering and rebuilding the levee to construction of an overflow diversion to the little Weber River.

In lieu of that, officials are scrambling to do what they can now, putting the lessons of 1983 to good use and taking advantage of the long window of time to prepare.

While flooding is a major concern in multiple areas throughout the state, it is keenly being felt in northern Utah where the snowpack, as of Tuesday, is five times greater than normal. Reservoirs will have to pass through anywhere from eight to 10 times the water for which they have the capacity.

The state's Emergency Operations Center has moved Utah to a level-two alert, acknowledging the flooding in 15 counties and 10 mudslides or debris flows are only a harbinger of things to come.

The only way out if it, stressed National Weather Service hydrologist Brian McInerney, is if the weather will stay in the 70s through June and cooperates, "which I highly doubt."

With easily five times the average snowpack that still needs to come down in this drainage, reservoir operators are doing what they can to stem the releases into the rivers, but soon the spillways will do what they are designed to do in extreme situations like this — spill.

Weber County Real Estate Market Improving | Weber County Utah Real ...

The real estate sales numbers for Weber County Utah look pretty good right now. Home sales were up during April compared with March, and there are 73 more homes under contract. The number of Weber County homes for sale is also down from a month ago.

The most surprising change, is the fact that the median and average list prices of homes for sale in Weber County , UT are up. Other than a slight blip during the expiration of home buying tax credit, this is the first time in years we have seen list prices increase. The current median list price of $157,900 is up $3,000 from last month. The average list price of $214,576 is up $3,500 from a month ago.

While this is a sign that the real estate market is improving, things are definitely not completely turned around yet. Home sales prices still probably won’t be going up for a while. April’s average sales price of $159,200 was down nearly 9% compared with the average sales price of a year ago.

At Aprils home sales pace, there is still 9.83 months of Weber County Real Estate inventory. Compared with last year at this time there are not nearly as many homes under contract.

Directory of Ogden City and Weber County. 1883

Distressed homes, Club Heights Section, South Ogden, Weber County

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