Trails closed, damaged following house collapses in Draper

DRAPER, Utah — WaterPro, the water company that manages the water supply in the area where two Draper homes collapsed, addressed concerns about possible debris contaminating the watershed.

Building materials now litter the trail and open space beneath where the homes stood.

“It’s gone far down this ravine, and all that drainage drains into Corner Canyon Creek, which is part of the watershed,” said Rep. Jeff Stenquist, R-Draper.

In an email to KSL 5 News, a representative for WaterPro wrote the following:

These homes are not within a drainage that the company has witnessed flows from in the past. Perhaps during an extreme rain event, water might be seen down this channel. With that being said, the water from Corner Canyon is entering our irrigation system this time of year. Also, the building materials in and of themselves are not construed as contaminating factors. WaterPro would be more concerned with any potential contaminates that the owners were storing within the home, gasoline or oil for example. The company is in communication with city personnel; and will be alerted to materials that might be of issue.  Lastly, the company has the ability to bypass all stream flows from corner canyon if necessary.

A spokesperson for Draper City said the city’s primary focus is ensuring the area is safe and stable. Following that, they’ll develop a plan for cleaning up the open space and trails, which are closed.

Owner of one of two Draper homes that slid never expected it would really happen

Stenquist has a personal connection to Ann’s Trail, which was impacted.

“My son built that section of trail as his Eagle project years ago,” he said. “It’s a beautiful section of trail — lots of trees, kind of shaded — but now, it’s got home debris on it.”

He said he uses trails in the area frequently.

“Ann’s Trail cuts across the north side of the mountain here and is used as a connecting point for all the other trails,” Stenquist said.

He said he looks forward to the day the area is cleaned up.

“It breaks my heart a little bit knowing it’s been damaged, but I’m sure we’ll get volunteers up here… and it will be restored,” Stenquist said.