A malfunctioning water meter on a hillside resulted in a significant mudslide, sending large amounts of mud and debris into homes within one of Utah’s elite neighborhoods, prompting urgent evacuations.

The incident started just after 8 pm on Tuesday close to 3100 East Silver Hawk Drive in Holladay, as a water meter failed on a steep hill above the luxurious residences.

Emergency crews initially responded to reports of flooding but soon discovered that a massive amount of mud and water had detached, impacting at least three properties.

One home took the brunt of the slide, with several feet of mud filling the basement.

No injuries were reported, but three homes were evacuated as a precaution.

‘It seemed like an explosion of water coming out from up there, and it just started rushing down,’ resident Paul Holmes, whose basement apartment was inundated, told KSL-TV5. 

‘We can’t even get the doors open because the mud is keeping them shut, so we have to go through the back windows.’

Holmes said the damage is severe and will require a full gut of the space. 

‘It’s a full restoration – like, tear it down to the studs,’ he said.

Authorities believed a water main had ruptured at first, however, it was later discovered by Salt Lake City Public Utilities officials that the break came from the sacrificial bottom of a water meter box – a built-in fail-safe designed to release pressure and prevent a full-blown pipe burst.

‘The meter did exactly what it was supposed to do,’ Chloe Morroni, communications manager for the utility department, said. 

‘It’s just – the topography out here certainly caused some issues,’ she said, adding that the same design on a flat surface would have likely caused ‘no issues.’

Normally, the release would saturate nearby ground, but in this case, the meter sat roughly 50 to 75 feet above the neighborhood on a steep incline, she explained.

The released water quickly destabilized the slope, triggering the devastating slide.

‘I look out the garage, and I just see all this, like, dirty water gushing and just a bunch of stuff falling. It was just really chaotic,’ Piper Knight, a local resident who witnessed the slide, said.

Local fire departments worked for over two hours to contain the flow, building dikes – barriers to hold back water – to redirect mud and shut down the water source. 

City utility crews reportedly stayed on the scene overnight and into Wednesday morning. 

Now, the 21-year-old meter will be replaced with a modern ‘smart’ version, according to Morroni. 

In addition, the city will bring in contractors to shore up the hillside and conduct geotechnical assessments to determine what additional protections may be needed.

‘We’ll do what we can to not only replace it, but make it even stronger,’ Jason Draper, chief engineer for Salt Lake City Public Utilities, told the outlet, adding that the city is looking into ‘adding retaining walls.’

Officials have since acknowledged that aging infrastructure – especially in hilly terrain – poses unique risks.

‘We hate to see this happen. It’s so unfortunate. I’m thankful no one was injured and the water line was not broken itself, so that it did not knock a whole bunch of homes out of water,’ Morroni said.

The Utah Division of Public Utilities have also emphasized the importance of funding long-term infrastructure upgrades. 

‘The Division strongly supports a rate-funded capital reserve account to ensure the companies can replace aging infrastructure and respond to emergencies,’ Division Director Chris Parker said in a statement.

But for residents like Holmes, the immediate concern is recovery. His driveway remains buried under mud, and access to his home is limited.

‘I’ve already talked to a disaster restoration company,’ he said. ‘It’s going to take a lot of work to fix the damage.’