Sandy warns residents: stay out of retention ponds after flooding

Retention and detention ponds across Sandy filled with contaminated stormwater during the Aug. 13 storm, and the city is telling residents to stay out.

Sandy City communications director Rachael Van Cleave said the ponds are doing their jobs by collecting runoff, but the water inside them is not safe. "Swimming in those ponds is not safe, and the water can contain pesticides, pet waste, and oil, while also being a drowning hazard," Van Cleave told KSL on Aug. 13.

The city reinforced the message on its official Instagram account the same day, posting a graphic that read "WARNING: DO NOT SWIM IN RETENTION BASINS" along with a caption: "It may look like a pool, but it's a health hazard."

Sandy's website also carried the warning.

The advisory remains relevant because stormwater runoff that collects in retention basins carries contaminants swept off streets, lawns and parking lots before pooling in the basins. The city has not announced a timeline for when the ponds will be safe.

The storm that filled them

The Thursday, Aug. 13 storm dropped between 1.7 and 2 inches of rain on Sandy and Draper, flooding dozens of homes and basements across the city, according to Van Cleave. About 10 cars were disabled by hydroplaning on Sandy roads.

Nearly two miles of 1300 East closed from 9400 South to 10600 South after floodwater covered the roadway, according to KUTV.

Mayor Monica Zoltanski told ABC4 on Aug. 14 that the storm hit hard and fast. "This was a huge, fast storm and Sandy was apparently right in the heart of it," she said. Zoltanski said the city's water pipes were not designed to handle that volume of rainfall at once, which contributed to the flooding.