BOUNTIFUL, Utah (KUTV) -- A massive irrigation pipe burst at Bountiful Ridge Golf Club, sending a wall of water rushing into a nearby neighborhood and damaging several homes.
The unexpected flood triggered a community-wide response Wednesday as neighbors quickly jumped in to help, working together to divert the water and minimize damage.
The 24-inch irrigation pipe, owned by Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, burst in the golf course, sending hundreds of gallons of water pouring into backyards and basements along Green Oakes Drive.
"It was like a river down both sides of the house, and it started getting inside," said neighbor Kim Walker, who was among the first to respond.
Confused by the sudden deluge, neighbors initially thought the water might be from a recent storm. "I couldn't figure out why -- it wasn't the weather, because that ended a while ago. So we figured it had to be a water main break," said Ryan Nakaya, who lives nearby.
As the water began flooding into homes, residents wasted no time. Armed with shovels, sandbags, sports gear, and even rain gutters, they worked together to create a makeshift river -- redirecting the flood away from houses and toward a nearby drainage route.
"When someone's in need, people come with shovels in hand," Nakaya said.
Walker used a neighborhood GroupMe to send out an urgent call for help -- and people showed up quickly.
"We got people from the neighborhood down. The water is going down past the elementary school, and we've got a huge amount of the community here helping," she said.
The water flowed for about two hours before it was finally stopped. As of Wednesday evening, crews and homeowners were still assessing the damage.
KUTV has reached out to the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District for comment on the pipe failure but has not yet received a response. The City of Bountiful confirmed the leak has been stopped and estimates it will take about a week to complete repairs. The cause of the rupture remains unknown. Meanwhile, affected homeowners will now need to determine whether their insurance policies cover the damage.
Despite the soggy ordeal, neighbors are keeping their spirits high -- and said they're still looking forward to the upcoming neighborhood picnic this weekend.
Course officials said they were operating as normal.