The extremely wet June, in which the Logan area received 3.4 inches of rain, or 250 percent of normal.

People watering their lawns, even along the hillside.

The canal itself was leaking.

As for who was liable for the break, Nielsen said that would likely be something worked out among the attorneys for the Utah Department of Transportation, the canal owners and private land owners.

"The city has nothing up there," he said.

But Nielsen said he did not believe there was "blame" to be given. He said he had to believe the canal owners upheld their duty of routinely checking the canal. He admitted, however, that there was no standard for canal inspections.

Family members of the victims, who had been a fixture at the search sight Saturday, kept out of the public eye Monday. But city officials said they were being kept up to date on the recovery efforts.

Six homes, with a total of 18 people, remained evacuated Monday. At the height of the slide, 15 homes were evacuated. Those still out of their homes Monday may not be able to return for several weeks, Nielsen said.

After 12 hours of sorting through the site Sunday, crews ended the search at dusk. They found the missing woman's purse and driver's license.

Police have not been able to locate Leavey's husband. He is a truck driver, and his last known location was Mississippi.

Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert traveled to the Canyon Road neighborhood Sunday to console family members and receive updates.

"It's been a significant tragedy for particularly one family," Herbert said. "There's a number of families and homes and residents that have been impacted, but I'm pleased to know that everyone is working together, and the first primary concern is really of the family and the missing mother and two children."

In all, nine houses were damaged by water and mud that penetrated residents' homes about noon Saturday after the canal broke. Eleven other homes had damage to the exterior of their property. At least half of the victims' house was still buried Monday.

"The slope is responding to the sort of natural aftermath of the original event," Robert Pack, a professor of engineering at Utah State University, said Sunday. "We want to keep a close eye on it so we don't do something to make it worse or jeopardize the workers."

Natural springs crisscross the area surrounding the slide, and Pack said this spring season delivered a larger volume of runoff than in years past, and the ground is saturated. Crews on scene are dedicated to recovery efforts, and little has been done to identify a cause of the slide.

"There are various sources of water up there that we know of up-slope," Pack said. "But certainly, the canal is a prime suspect."