So volunteers stepped in to remove the mud and help get residents' lives back to normal, even to the point the Craguns managed to hold a wedding reception for their daughter one month later.

Jones and city officials were also adamant that once the canal was repaired, it would be piped instead of flowing through an open channel, and Jones insisted on inspecting welded joints himself.

"It took that accident to happen to get them to realize they needed to pay more attention to their canal," said Riverdale public works administrator Lynn Moulding.

Baham, who retired five years after the flood and now works part time managing an irrigation company in Kaysville, said the company began making plans to secure the canal and protect the residents.

After the canal break, videos of the deteriorating channel surfaced, some of which were shot by Riverdale employees, though they weren't the only ones, Moulding said.

Davis and Weber Counties Canal Co. manager Ivan Ray did not return calls seeking comment for this story, but he has stated in public settings that the company has spent $30 million over the past 10 years to shore up the canal, pipe it through Riverdale and cover the rest in a culvert.

"Hopefully we'll never see anything like that again," Moulding said.

A memorial to the disaster, including pictures and sentiments from Riverdale Mayor Bruce Burrows, has been set up on Riverdale's Web site, www.riverdalecity.com.

e-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com

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