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It's been nearly two months since a wildfire blackened more than 800 acres in the mountains above Draper, but efforts are already underway to protect homes from future flooding and landslides.
It was Aug. 25 when the Corner Canyon fire consumed hundreds of acres and threatened dozens of homes. Crews were able to work quickly, and within a day and a half, the fire was nearly contained.
"Time kind of stood still up here that day," said Draper resident Steve Garrett.
But it wasn't long before Draper residents living at the base of the mountains began to worry about something else.
In the last few years, landslides and flooding have already created some expensive problems. With much of the mountain vegetation burned in the fire, the risk has heightened.

"Everyone that we've talked to in the neighborhood has concerns about it," Garrett said.
Garrett's home faces a steep, undeveloped slope. But officials say those who live near runoff channels and gullies are more exposed.
"Our bigger, immediate risk is next spring. With the runoff in the spring, the soils get saturated. And then if you get a thunderstorm, you can get a flood event," explained Reese Pope, representative for the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
Pope says improvements are underway. Debris fences have already been built along runoff channels, and they're improving drainage near roads, trials and culverts.

Soon, forest crews will drop mulch on much of the blackened land. If there's enough money left over, they'll reseed vegetation.
"We aren't going to be able to stop all the water. So, what were trying to do is slow the water down and give it a chance to soak into the ground," Pope explained.
Mulching and reseeding was supposed to happen this weekend. But tough economic times have forced them to scale back and delay some of their efforts a couple of weeks. The price tag for this project is nearly $800,000.
E-mail: wjohnson@ksl.com
