Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Will Salt Lake City see another State Street River flood when the winter snow melts?
Urban Living
Posted By Babs De Lay on March 8, 2023, 4:00 AM
Isn't everyone along the Wasatch Front exclaiming, "Enough snow!"? Well, everyone except for very happy skiers, I guess.
What I'm grinding my teeth about is not the weather, but what is surely coming this spring—floods! In May of 1983, Salt Lake County declared a water emergency after a crazy wet winter both the year before and in '83. The county had to divert rising waters from Red Butte, Emigration and Parley's creeks as temperatures warmed up all at once and snow melted even faster.
Unfortunately, city officials kinda overlooked City Creek in Memory Grove Park below the State Capitol Building and ... well ... the "State Street River" was born. City officials reached out to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to call on its members to help fill sandbags along State Street during the 90-degree Memorial Day weekend. Those not sandbagging became kayakers and sidewalk fishermen (yes, they caught trout on the watery street) or helped build makeshift pedestrian bridges to get over the floodwaters.
Folks ask me if we're going to see main roads under water in our big cities and my answer is simple: yes. There will be stormwater/snowmelt, and hopefully the remediations that cities put in place back in the '80s will hold this spring and early summer.
Flood prevention has seen cities and towns add bigger culverts and storage ponds—many of which look like pocket parks that are lower than street level. These bioretention areas (aka "rain gardens" in desert climes) help slow the flow so hopefully it will infiltrate to the ground. Smaller versions are found in parking islands and street medians.
We want snowmelt to get to the Great Salt Lake and other reservoirs in the state. We all can help in our everyday activities to make a huge difference in getting the water to where it needs to go and to help with water quality. Homeowners and businesses can collect trash around their properties weekly, making sure that cigarette butts and trash, and fall's leftover leaves and grass clippings don't end up in the gutters but rather in dumpsters and appropriate trash receptacles.
It's illegal to wash your sidewalks into the gutters, because oils, industrial wastes, human and animal feces, detergents, fertilizer and pesticides will contaminate the runoff. Sadly, I've seen many businesses that regularly power wash sidewalks into gutters when the temperatures are warmer.
If you see or suspect anyone or any business illegally dumping or spilling into the storm drains, gutters or the sewer system, call the stormwater hot-lines/departments in Salt Lake City—801-483-6729; South Salt Lake—801-412-3245; Utah County—801-851-7873; Ogden—801-622-2900; and St. George—435-627-4142.
It is so important that we try to maintain the quality and flow of stormwater and snowmelt for the health of our waterways, reservoirs and lakes.
About The Author
Babs De Lay
A full-time broker/owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Babs De Lay serves on the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission. A writer and golfer, you'll find them working as a staff guardian at the Temple at Burning Man each year.
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