Slide threatening Layton homes

LAYTON — For some Layton residents, the threat of a landslide from the hill behind their homes is a recurring nightmare.

In 1998, part of the hillside slid, causing the condemnation of one home.

This year, during Easter weekend, a string of six back yards sank 3 feet. A scar runs along all six yards. Some concrete patios collapsed and backyard decks were weakened.

Donna Chipmen's husband discovered the short slide after the family returned from a trip to Missouri. When he went outside to feed the dog, he crash-landed.

The slow-moving Layton landslide is one of at least 50 slide areas the Utah Geological Survey is monitoring along the Wasatch Front. Just up Weber Canyon from Layton, in Mountain Green, Morgan County, another slow-moving slide has forced one resident to move out of her home, and several other homeowners are keeping a nervous eye on the situation.

Nancy Hayes' home overlooking Creekside Drive was deemed unsafe to live in. The widow moved out last week, neighbors said Tuesday. A stone wall in front of her home, now sagging in places, bears a "no trespassing" sign. Hayes could not be reached for comment.

Just down the hill from Hayes' home, Brad Hall and his family live in a home they built four years ago. The half-million-dollar home is directly in the path of a historic landslide. Since the wet ground has been moving, it has caused the foundation to crack, a backyard patio bridge to bend and walls inside to begin to bow and lose paint.

The slide in Layton was a devastating discovery for the Chipmen family, who got a good deal six years ago on the Sunset Drive home with a magnificent view over Kays Creek. They then had the home fitted with $93,000 worth of stabilizing improvements.

There are eight pylons across the back yard that extend 30 feet down. There is an underpinning system designed to keep the home from leaning. And then there is an underground drainage system that whisks water from their property.

All of their plants are water-wise, and they have an efficient watering system to conserve water.

The Chipmens promised they would follow each of those measures to keep the hill stable because it had slid before.

Donna Chipmen manages to smile despite the possibility of losing her home.