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TAYLORSVILLE — While many eyes are turned to the east-side creeks and the flooding problems they may bring to the Salt Lake Valley, many western communities are grappling with headaches caused by a bulging Jordan River.
The river may not necessarily be jumping its banks, but it is so full it is inundating storm drainage systems in communities like Taylorsville and West Valley City.
Instead of these drainage systems sending the water to the river like they are supposed to, the river is directing its high flows in the opposite direction.
Call it a sub-ground traffic jam in a pipe — where water backs up and then follows the path of least resistance.
The west-side flooding is somewhat of an anomaly for cities such as Taylorsville, which do not have to contend with raging creeks dumping snowmelt out of the Oquirrhs.
Such a scenario has played out in a pair of apartment complexes at 4100 South and 4500 South in Taylorsville these past few weeks, when water from an overwhelmed storm drainage system caused some flooding in the buildings' parking lots.
John Inch Morgan, Taylorsville's city administrator, said the water level from the Jordan River has risen so much that it's coming in through the system's inlets. Absent an actual back-flow valve — which would prevent that water from returning through the system — city crews have had to fashion their own makeshift valve out of Visqueen and sandbags.
About 50 volunteers this past weekend also came out and filled sandbags to help shore up the parking lot against future threats.
At 4800 South, basements in some homes close to the Jordan River have flooded because the water table is so high, Morgan added.
The west-side flooding is somewhat of an anomaly for cities such as Taylorsville, which do not have to contend with raging creeks dumping snowmelt out of the Oquirrhs.
"In the 15 years I have been here, we've not had this kind of problem. It's the worst I've seen it, at least in my tenure," Morgan said.
Taylorsville's neighbor, West Valley City, has experienced similar problems at three mobile home parks, where an over-full Jordan River is sending backflows through the storm drains. All those drainage systems are privately owned by the mobile home parks, but a city storm drain at 1200 West backed up and caused the closure of the road while crews worked to pump the water out.
In that instance, the city had a flap gate — similar to a backflow valve — which was not closing properly, according to city public works director Russ Willardson.
Both Willardson and Morgan say there are plans this fall when the river level has dropped to address some of the infrastructure problems.
In West Valley City, some of those issues are routine — such as one mobile home park Willardson said has an extremely low outlet on the storm drainage system.
"They are pumping rainwater out even in dry years," Willardson said.
Both are also keeping a watchful eye on a problem they have much less control over: the rising Jordan River at the 3900 South bridge.
"The river's been hitting the bottom of that bridge for a number of weeks," Willardson said.
The so-called Four Corners bridge is within the boundaries of Salt Lake County, Taylorsville, West Valley City and South Salt Lake, representing a mutual concern for everyone.
With temperatures expected to inch into the low 90s by Thursday, both men fear the Jordan will rise even more, putting the bridge at even more risk.
Morgan said there are two 12-hour shifts providing patrols of the river level at the location.
"My engineer and (the county) are watching it, but there's not a whole lot we can do."
Email:aodonoghue@ksl.com
