SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Over a dozen homes in Bountiful near 300 South and 1400 East lost water on Thursday, Dec. 21, after workers struck a main water line while working on fiber optics in the neighborhood.

Bountiful City said on social media that crews are actively working on repairing the damaged water line but estimated the repair time could take several hours. Officials estimated water would be restored to the affected homes by 5 p.m. on Thursday.

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City officials told ABC4 that roughly 13 homes were affected and the water break was disrupting local traffic as well.

Since August, crews throughout Bountiful have been working to lay fiber optic infrastructure that officials said would bring faster internet to residents. The city’s new fiber internet has been rolled out gradually, neighborhood by neighborhood, as the network is completed.

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Several Bountiful residents have reported concerns with workers digging into lawns and leaving patched-in holes or yard damage after work has been completed. One resident did mention that following damage to barely laid grass said a supervisor for the company overseeing the fiber network’s installation offered his name and number, in case the newly planted grass doesn’t grow back.

Both UTOPIA Fiber CEO Roger Timmerman and Bountiful City Councilwoman Kate Bradshaw told residents to reach out with concerns.

“I understand this can be frustrating as the fiber is put in. This is a big construction project and requires a lot of impact to yards. It’s also a difficult time of year to restore things immediately because the grass is dormant and won’t quickly recover whether it’s the original grass trying to grow back or a sod patch,” Timmerman said in a reply on social media.

Timmerman said residents should let the construction contractor know if things are not restored properly. If they are not responding, residents should reach out to UTOPIA Fiber at 801-260-0988. Residents can also contact the Bountiful City Council to address concerns.

“We can’t fix things that we don’t know about, so please reach out,” said Timmerman.

“Things often do come out right in the end,” Bradshaw said in another reply. “They just need a little time for everything to catch up.”

With fiber internet, data is transferred using light and wire-thin fiber-optic cables. This is opposed to thicker copper wires in traditional cables used to transmit data. Bountiful City says fiber optics can handle an immense amount of data and speeds that are becoming increasingly important in cloud computing, telecommuting, and the online world.

Bountiful City residents will be able to stay on top of the rollout of fiber internet through Bountiful City’s website or on mybountifulfiber.com. Residents will be able to begin signing up as soon as the infrastructure in their neighborhood is completed.

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