“Right now, everything’s looking really stable,” said Ben Erickson, a geologist with the Utah Geological Survey who’s monitored the landslide since it came to light in late 2017.

What comes of the land, though, remains uncertain and many other questions still swirl. For now, a chain-link fence still surrounds the property, preventing public access.

The issue has prompted plenty of consternation and anguish over the years, particularly among those who lived in the impacted homes. For now, there’s a lull in action.

Erickson tested groundwater levels in the area in the 4800 block of 600 West earlier this month and said they’ve steadily been on the decline since 2018. Underground water, he maintains, factored in the land erosion. “The groundwater level is trending down in that area,” Erickson said, boding for stability.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

Likewise, Steve Books, the city administrator for Riverdale, said he’s not aware of any continuing issues, though city officials aren’t experts in the field. “There are no obvious signs that it is still slipping. If it is still slipping, it is also difficult to say or predict even by the experts. We have not seen any signs of any large-scale movement,” Brooks said.

The landslide came to light on Nov. 19, 2017. That’s when the steep slope around the backyards of four homes along 600 West that overlook the businesses of Riverdale Road started falling. Mud oozed in the weeks and months that followed to the land down below, a largely undeveloped parcel of pastureland that housed a horse stable and other storage structures.

The landslide threatened the homes at 4839, 4851, 4865 and 4887 S. 600 West in Riverdale, ultimately leading to an evacuation order applicable to the dwellings and installation of a chainlink fence around the structures to keep people off the land. Three of the homes were demolished in late 2019 as a safety precaution to prevent them from falling down the side of the bluff.

Some of the homeowners filed a lawsuit in 2nd District Court in Ogden in late 2018 against reps from the cities of Riverdale and Washington Terrace. It wound its way through the court and as of early 2021, the claims against the varied defendants had been dismissed.

“I have no reaction to the dismissal,” Brooks said. “Lawsuits cost everyone a lot of money and many times you don’t recover those costs, so that is never a good thing.”

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

The lawyer who filed the suit on behalf of the property owners didn’t immediately respond to a query from the Standard-Examiner seeking comment, nor did one of the principal homeowners involved. In the suit, filed against several water-management systems as well as Riverdale and Washington Terrace reps, the plaintiffs had argued that leaks from the water systems serving the two cities figured big in the landslide.

Erickson, the geologist, and other city reps have said natural springs at the base of the bluff’s face figured in the landslide.

For now, Erickson said he’ll continue to periodically monitor water levels in the ground in the area of the slide. Beyond that, though, the future of the property remains a question mark. The land remains in private hands and any plan to use it would face formal review.

“Any proposals would have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to see what would work under all the building and use codes,” Brooks said.