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Show y.wiu-.! l l mm-nmm r - -- I) if f I '1 1 J. i S ! M ; !:' I ' . l !" '- I ' "I i f I " i f I til t ' m mm s ; i T" .- .fw . , ! J: r ''- -J . ... I i -L r- - -, v . ' " if --JL " w--V I I ;rMxr t I If r ' - ' A . f -v - Jl I J ' " - " ' SEWAGE SOAKED items from the flooded basements of city residents on 450 South array the front yards as Rhoda Julander takes count of the damage. Three homes suffered the worst of the sewage overflow. Vtelley swer cave-ins bread line, flood homes is t.:"t I t ' ,r . ..-'" " - f ..-' J , v ' : i - v . ' . FELLOW WORKERS shovel away dirt around George Mower after a cave-in on an 18-foot sewer trench buried him to his chest. The accident occurred at 500 South Vernal Avenue. ' ' ''I ' MUCK COVERS the basement floor of this home on 450 South after the city main water line broke and flowed into the sewer. Residents spent three days cleaning the mess. Two cave-ins on the Valley Sewer Project at 500 South Vernal Avenue injured in-jured one worker and flooded the basements of city residents at 450 South 500 East, last week. Tuesday, Aug. 12, contractor Johansen Construction was installing sewer lines in an 18-foot trench on South Vernal Avenue, when the north side caved in on George Mower and buried him to his chest. Fellow workers dug Mower out of the cave-in and Mower walked away from the accident with a swollen ankle and a cut over his eye. He was transported to the county hospital for minor treatment. According to Russ Vernon, project engineer, the contractor should have been using a trench box or shoring to prevent thecave-'in. Vernon said the contractor was cited by OSHA for the accident. The next day the contractor encountered en-countered the same problem, but this time the cave-in broke a four -inch main water line. The water filled the trench and the already laid sewer pipe east on 500 South and began leaking out of the manhole at 500 South and 500 East. According to Vernon, the contractor had placed a plug where the lines connected con-nected onto the present city sewer, but the plug gave way under the pressure and flooded basements of homes on 450 South. Mrs. Judy Jenne, 495 East 450 South, said when she went to check her wash at 1 p.m. Wednesday water was flowing into her basement through the drains. Leon Oaks and Salty Oaks of Oaks Construction Con-struction furnished Mrs. Jenne and her two neighbors, Rhoda and Neal Julander and Mel and Marsha Roberts with pumps. The pumps ran continuously con-tinuously for three hours, Salty Oaks said. The water reached up to 18" deep. Damages to each house has been estimated at about $6,000 to clean and repair the water damage. Mrs. Jenne said she has been going in circles trying to find some help. "The city blamed the contractor and the contractor blamed the city," Mrs. Jenne said. "They got on the ball finally when Trouble Shooter called from Salt Lake City." Friday the city sent work crews to 450 South to clean up the mess left by the overflowing over-flowing sewer. Tuesday night, Aug. 19, the Valley Sewer Board met with concerned persons per-sons on 450 South, and said their best recourse was to appeal to the insurance agent of the contractor. All the homes that were flooded had recently carpeted their basements, and the Roberts house had earnst money down from a buyer. The city residents whose basements were flooded also met with the Vernal City Council Wednesday night. City officials of-ficials said there was some bad communication com-munication on the issue and promised to watch the contractor more closely in case of further incidents. Meanwhile the contractor has covered the trench at 500 South Vernal Avenue awaiting a trench box or shoring. |