As flood waters begin to recede, boil order issued for Oakley


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SALT LAKE COUNTY -- After a calm night, weather-wise, several cities are once again worried about spring runoff flooding.

Salt Lake County monitoring water levels

The concerns in Salt Lake County are the warm temperatures and the possibility that the already-high rivers could get even higher, once again flooding nearby cities.

County managers say with Little Cottonwood Creek, the key is making sure debris doesn't dam up the water -- both in the valley and in the canyons.

Wednesday, KSL News caught up with a group of Brighton High School Students who were volunteering to help with the floods.

"We're loading dirt," said volunteer Chris Castleton. "We've been going around through neighborhoods, seeing if anyone needs it. And when they do, we load it most of the time in their backyards along the creek beds. We've helped pass out things to the other volunteers, assisted in any other way possible."

County officials are still running 24-hour command posts near both Big and Little Cottonwood canyons. They say if everything continues to go well overnight Wednesday in to Thursday, they will probably remove those command posts sometime on Thursday.

Water levels down in Summit County

In Summit County, Oakley residents are relieved that water levels have dropped, but the problems are far from over. There are still homes surrounded by water, with backyards turned into small lakes.

"We're just cleaning up the mess that the river made," said Oakley resident Clay Lott.

"I got a phone call from my dad. He told me, 'Come out and play in the water.' It was pretty much up to my knees," said Trent Lott, who also lives in Oakley.

Boil order issued for Oakley

In addition to the flooding, the Summit County Sheriff's Office says there is now a water boil order in effect for Oakley residents.

Summit County officials say they are flushing Oakley's water pipes with chlorine to rid the system of contaminants.

Mayor Blake Frazier says clean water is available at Oakley City Hall. Frazier says he is seeking donations of clean water for the crisis.

People who live in Oakley are advised to boil their water for 3 to 5 minutes before drinking it, or use bottled water.

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Story compiled with contributions from Sarah Dallof and The Associated Press.

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