NORTHERN UTAH — Flood warnings throughout northern Utah are keeping residents who live near Utah's waterways on their toes. The most substantial problems Monday took place in Morgan and Cache counties.

Morgan County

A flood warning was issued by the National Weather Service Monday afternoon for western Morgan County, where several creeks have jumped their banks and are posing "minor" flooding issues.

Residents in Morgan, and the rest of the county, decided to get proactive Monday night and block off any potential problems before they start.

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Flood Watch River Flow Tracker

Keep track of water levels with KSL's exclusive Flood Watch 2011 River Flow Tracker.

At the Morgan County Fairgrounds, dozens of volunteers worked to fill hundreds of sandbags. The bags were then loaded up into pickup trucks and taken to some of the county's worst problem areas.

It was a major community effort as several volunteer crews worked to shore up the East Canyon Creek. If the water goes over the banks, it could mean bad news for homeowners downstream.

"We have quite a few ditches and irrigation places, rivers, that come through the valley. What we're trying to do is shore up all of those so that we can protect the houses and things like that," explained volunteer Teresa Shope.

Many of the volunteers said they weren't in danger of flooding themselves, they just wanted to do their part.

"We're in Enterprise, so we're kind of up the hillside," volunteer Chris Andersen said. "We don't have any issues where we're at, but a lot of our friends and neighbors do, so (we're) just here to help them out."

"They tell us the creek won't crest until midnight tonight, so it's gonna get worse before it gets better," volunteer Mike Mangum said.

Terry Turner, the county's director of emergency management services, said trouble spots include Peterson and Deep creeks, as well as a few isolated spots on East Canyon Creek.

"I am not aware of any property damage; there is probably some minor flood farming," he said.

Rick Williams, Cache County's emergency management coordinator, said some flooding has impacted summer homes in the canyons, but he did not believe there had been substantial property damage.

He's hopeful that most of the flooding's impact can be averted due to mitigation work done over the last several weeks, including placement of sandbags and clearing waterways of debris.

Cache County

A "muscle" wall to divert water from several residences at the Riverside RV Park is working to stave off any more flooding, and sandbags are proving effective as crews try to counter a deluge of water at the Country Manor subdivision.

Residents of the RV park, located at 445 W. 1700 South, had checked on the Blacksmith Fork River Sunday night after a warning was issued and found it was within its banks. But Monday morning, several of them stepped out their front doors and into about 2 feet of water.

"I didn't expect it to come up this fast overnight. Last night it was pretty dry over that way where you can see the flow now," said Doug Mallette.

Another resident, Susan Croft, said, "It was scary. Water was clear up to here, and we just had to wait it out."

Crews used backhoes to dig debris out from a bridge just below the RV park, and that helped the water recede about 6 inches. Crews also put in a muscle wall to help block the water from continuing to flow out of the river.

On the other side of the river residents in the Country Manor subdivision are doing their best to pump water from back yards. Over the weekend volunteers sandbagged a wall to block the water from the river, but because there has been so much rain the ground became too saturated and flooded.

Emergency responders are braving persistent rain as they warily watch river levels at bridges throughout the city, particularly at 1700 South and 300 West.

"We are getting ahead of our incidents," said Logan fire spokesman Craig Humphreys.

#flx_workers

"We are watching these three bridges and keeping the area clear of debris," Humphreys said, noting that on 300 West the swollen river was 6 inches below the bridge.

As rain continues to deluge much of northern Utah, Logan crews have been out today in full force to minimize any damage from flooding that may occur as the result of Logan and Blacksmith Fork rivers cresting their banks.

The city is dipping into a stockpile of 70,000 sandbags ready to go and another 3,000 are filled and on pallets, ready for delivery if needed.

Mayor Randy Watts said in the event that evacuation is necessary, residents will be alerted via a message sent out over a public communications system to affected areas. The city is also coordinating with the local Red Cross chapter should emergency shelter be needed.

The city is also working with local ham radio operators and the Cache County Emergency Response Team (CERT) to identify staging locations for sandbagging and evacuation areas.

Crews are continuing to clear storm drains, storm systems, grates and ditches of possible debris and is coordinating with the local canal company to divert water from the Blacksmith River to the canals.

Watts said anyone interested in volunteering for sandbagging should contact their local homeowner's association or CERT. CERT coordinator Heidi Bleazard may be reached at hbleazer@gmail.com.

The city is also posting regular updates on floods at its website, www.loganutah.org. Information regarding available sandbags or other equipment may be obtained by calling Christine Christensen at the Logan City Street Department, 435-716-9513.

Weber and Ogden rivers

Elsewhere across the state, emergency responders are keeping an eye on the upper Weber and Ogden rivers, which are already flowing high and aren't being helped by the rain.

Lance Peterson, director of the county's emergency services department, said reservoir flows have been reduced into the rivers.

"We're really watching the river gauges," he said. Peterson spent two hours Monday morning walking the levy down at the western end of the Weber River, and said, "We are OK right now. We have a couple feet of room."

Although no flooding has been reported yet, Peterson said it is an anxious situation as the precipitation continues to fall.

"Rain on snow is the killer ... where it tops out nobody knows."

He advised the residents be ready to sandbag if necessary, but so far, the county remains in a "wait and see mode."

Davis County

In Farmington, which is home to multiple creeks that feed into the Great Salt Lake, debris basins installed after the floods of 1983 will help catch anything that could clog up stream flows, said Paul White, the city's emergency preparedness coordinator.

Volunteers are being sought to watch for trouble spots in the city and should call White at 801-451-5108 or 801-643-8372

Related:

Flood warning issued for Emigration Creek

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Emigration Creek in Salt Lake County Monday afternoon.

The range of infrastructure improvements learned from 1983 when a sudden spike in the temperatures precipitated widespread flooding and damage from slides are likely to minimize any problems this spring, he added.

"The creeks at time that time had not been cleaned out for 20 years," White said. "The key is mitigation, preparation."

Still, any residents who may need sandbags to counter spring runoff issues can get them in an open lot just south of the public works building at 50 N. 650 West. Materials include sand and bags but residents should bring their own shovel.

Salt Lake County

In Salt Lake County, Murray City has scheduled a public meeting to answer questions about anticipated flooding along Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood creeks. The city's plans to limit damage will be detailed at 7 p.m. April 26 at Hillcrest Junior High School's auditorium, 126 E. 5300 South.

Two volunteer sandbagging events are slated for May 7 and May 14 from 8 a.m. to noon at the south end of the Murray Park Amphitheater parking lot, 455 E. 5300 South. Residents should bring their own shovel for filling bags and a truck for transporting the filled bags.

Any advance preparations can also be arranged through the Salt Lake County Public Works dispatch at 385-468-6101, or stop by the shops at 7125 S. 600 West. Residents can pick up 25 filled sandbags, but more can filled on your own at the site. More information is available by calling Battalion Chief Randy Wilden at 801-264-2789.

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Story written with contributions from Mike Anderson, Amy Joi O'Donoghue and the ksl.com news team.

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