Utah slide area moving but still stable, officials say

With rainy weather and a flash flood watch in effect for Utah, North Salt Lake officials are continuing to monitor the hill that slid into the Eaglepointe Estates neighborhood last week.

A Tuesday night storm led to slight movement on the hillside "but everything is still stable," city spokeswoman Linda Horrocks said Wednesday.

People are stationed at the top and bottom of the slide to monitor the area, Horrocks said, and two pieces of equipment that can detect movement have been installed there. The city is waiting for the land to dry out so officials can gather data and make a long-term plan to remediate the hill, she said.

Heavy rains triggered the landslide that began in the vicinity of 739 S. Parkway Drive about 6:15 a.m. on Aug. 5, sending rock and debris down the slope and leading to the evacuation of 27 families. No one was injured, but one house — home to a dozen members of the Utrilla family — was crushed.

All but two houses, the Utrillas' and another home a few doors away, have been deemed safe and most families moved back within a few days. The Utrillas and the other family, are being housed by Bountiful-based SKY Properties, which is part of Eaglepointe Development.

The company is donating a building lot in the same neighborhood to the Utrillas and is working to raise money to build a new house for the family, which did not have landslide insurance.The cause of the landslide has not been determined. SKY Properties had an evaluation of the ground conducted last year for Eaglepointe Estates, and a June 2013 report by GSH Geotechnical determined the slope was "globally stable."

pmanson@sltrib.com

Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC