SALT LAKE CITY -- Rising waters carrying debris and mud over farmland and houses can seem like an event that only happens in far away places, but for many Utahns it's as close as their own backyards.

Flood Watch 2011

KSL's exclusive river flow tracker

Follow the flood potential and flood stage levels across Utah with KSL's exclusive river flow tracker.

Reports of above average snow pack, saturated ground and a long potentially wet spring still ahead of us have many watching the hills and riverbeds across the state. The U.S. National Weather Service for Salt Lake City released a flooding brief last week with warnings for Logan River, Blacksmith Fork River, Chalk Creek, Weber River, City Creek and Emigration Creek.

Brian McInerney, the hydrologist who authored the brief, cautioned it was still too early to know exactly how flooding would play out, but that "the spring weather will shape the runoff" leaving many hoping for moderate temperatures, controlled run off and a drier spring than last year.

KSL Meteorologist Kevin Eubank says flooding is very realistic this spring and the numbers bear that out. The state average snowpack is almost 150 percent, the high at 189 percent in Virgin. In fact, Eubank says, Utah hasn't seen numbers this high in 30 years, when Utah experienced some of its worse flooding.

In 1983 parts of downtown Salt Lake City became road rivers and the I-15 corridor was supported by sandbag structures. Since that time better infrastructure has been put in place, lessening flooding concerns for 2011 and providing home owners with resources to prepare before the water levels reach their peaks. Many cities are encouraging residents to help fill sand bags for their own use, as in Draper, Utah, or to be held in reserve to be used by the city as announced by Salt Lake City mayor Peter Corroon on Monday.

"Mother Nature will do what she pleases," Corroon said, "but we want to be prepared, and we will be prepared."

Utahns are encouraged to start with their own properties and neighborhoods and address personal preparations now:

- Keeping yard clippings, trimmings and trash clear of culverts and drainage ditches. These waterways are crucial in directing flow away from homes and giving run off a safe place to go.

- Performing maintenance on retaining walls and shoring up weak spots along waterways or mountainside drainage beds.

- Participating in community efforts to prepare sandbags and plastic retaining walls to keep water and mud from flowing into neighborhoods.

- Making sure that family members know where to go if flooding occurs. This may include both a family gathering site and being aware of community shelters or action plans. This is a good time to check personal emergency supplies including a 72-hour supply of food for each family member and clean water for drinking, cooking and washing.

- Checking personal insurance policies for flooding rules and regulations. Many homeowners policies do not include flood insurance unless as part of generalized home coverage. Home owners should know ahead of time what damages are covered by insurance policies and what clean up procedures are required if they are affected by runoff water or mudslides.

KSL has created a flood tracker for residents to easily decipher the numbers and charts from the National Weather Service and keep up on the latest warnings and trends.

Jana Brown is a freelance writer and editor, wife and mother. She is an excellent cook and avid reader, who resolves one day to have a full database of all the books in the house.

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