Civil Engineering in Ogden, Utah.
We work with developers, architects, and landowners on civil engineering for Ogden land development, from downtown and Ogden Station District redevelopment to bench sites against the Wasatch and industrial ground along the river corridor.
Licensed Professional Engineer in Utah. The engineer designing your Ogden project is the same engineer answering your call.
(612) 567-2154 →How stormwater is regulated in Ogden.
Ogden publishes a Storm Water Design Manual built around keeping water on site and getting basins to empty. The requirements are specific and easy to check against a plan.
The city's water quality design standards aim to mimic natural hydrology by increasing pervious surface and retaining stormwater on site, slowing runoff, providing infiltration closer to the source, and adding structural treatment before water reaches the conveyance system.
All detention systems have to discharge directly to an acceptable city-owned stormwater conveyance and must drain within 24 hours. A basin that cannot demonstrate drawdown inside that window does not clear review.
The slope within a stormwater detention facility is never less than 1 percent across any portion. That prevents standing water and it sets basin depth, which in turn sets the outlet elevation.
Who reviews an Ogden project.
City engineering carries the technical review, with Weber County, state, and UDOT layers depending on the site.
Stormwater and drainage review against the Storm Water Design Manual, grading, storm drain and utility design, and right-of-way permits.
Site plan, zoning, and subdivision review, including the downtown and station district standards that come with redevelopment work.
Zoning and subdivision review outside city jurisdiction, county road access, and the county engineering design standards on unincorporated ground.
Construction stormwater coverage under UTRC00000 or the Common Plan Permit, filed through NeT CGP, with annual renewal and a Notice of Termination at final stabilization.
Access and drainage permits on I-15, Washington Boulevard, and the state highway system.
Surface fault rupture and liquefaction studies where mapped hazards apply. Ogden sits directly against the Wasatch front, so bench sites routinely need them.
What is different about engineering in Ogden.
Ogden has real grade, two rivers, and a fault at its back. The drainage standards assume all three.
- •The basin has to prove it empties. Detention systems discharge directly to an acceptable city-owned conveyance and have to drain within 24 hours. That is a design calculation you show, and on a low-permeability site with a restricted outlet it can be the binding constraint on the whole layout.
- •No flat spots inside a basin. Slope inside a detention facility is never below 1 percent at any point. On a shallow basin that forces additional depth, which pushes the outlet lower, which can conflict with the elevation of the conveyance you are discharging into.
- •Runoff is computed by the rational method. The watershed area determines pre- and post-construction runoff, computed by the rational method or another approach the city engineer approves. Using a different method without asking is a straightforward way to get a submittal returned.
- •Bench terrain against the Wasatch. East side sites carry real slope. Cut and fill balance, slope stability, erosion control during construction, and fault and liquefaction findings all become live design problems in a way they are not on the valley floor.
- •The design philosophy is retention, not conveyance. The manual is explicit about mimicking natural hydrology: more pervious surface, water held on site, infiltration close to the source. A design that simply pipes everything to the nearest inlet reads as the wrong approach here.
What we work on in Ogden.
Tight-site grading, treatment where there is no room for a basin, and drawdown that still has to happen inside 24 hours.
Slope, cut and fill balance, erosion control, and layouts built around fault setback and liquefaction findings.
Site layout, parking, access, and detention designed to the Storm Water Design Manual rather than a national tenant standard.
Large impervious areas, truck circulation, UDOT access, and treatment ahead of the Weber and Ogden Rivers.
Common questions about civil engineering in Ogden.
How fast does an Ogden detention basin have to drain?
Within 24 hours. All detention systems must discharge directly to an acceptable city-owned stormwater conveyance and must drain within that window. On a low-permeability site with a restricted outlet, demonstrating the drawdown can be the constraint that drives the rest of the layout.
Are there slope requirements inside a detention basin?
Yes. The slope within a stormwater detention facility has to be no less than 1 percent across any portion. That prevents standing water, and practically it forces additional basin depth on a shallow site, which lowers the outlet and can conflict with the elevation of the conveyance you are discharging into.
What method is used to calculate runoff?
The area of the watershed determines the amount of stormwater runoff generated before and after construction, computed using the rational method or another method approved by the city engineer. Using a different method without confirming it first is a common reason for a returned submittal.
What does the city expect on water quality?
The design standards are built around mimicking natural hydrology: increasing pervious surface, retaining stormwater on site, slowing runoff, providing infiltration closer to the source, and installing structural treatment to reduce contaminants reaching the conveyance system and downstream waters. A design that just pipes everything to the nearest inlet is the wrong shape for Ogden.
My site is on the bench. What changes?
Slope changes everything. Cut and fill balance, slope stability, and construction-phase erosion control all become real design problems, and sites in mapped hazard zones need surface fault rupture or liquefaction studies from a qualified engineering geologist. Those findings shape where structures can go, so they belong in due diligence rather than after a layout exists.
Are you licensed in Utah?
Yes. Paul Wallick is a licensed Professional Engineer in Utah, along with Minnesota, Colorado, and North Dakota. The engineer who seals your drawings is the engineer you talk to.
Working on a Ogden project?
Tell us about the site. You will get a same-business-day response from Paul, with a real read on the civil scope, the regulatory path, and the likely permitting timeline.