Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson and Director of Flood Control Kade Moncur announced the end of the flooding state of emergency in Salt Lake County. Mayor Willson declared the emergency on April 13, in anticipation of potentially devastating flooding thanks to an historic snowpack which was 200 % of normal.
Salt Lake County was the first county in the state to declare a flooding emergency. By enacting this tool, the county was able to quickly deploy needed resources and equipment, hire additional crews to clear debris, purchase sand and sandbags, and set the stage for receiving state and federal reimbursements.
“Since I’ve been Mayor, we’ve had our share of emergencies: a global pandemic, an earthquake, and a devastating windstorm, but all of these challenges helped us get even better at preparing for disasters,” said Mayor Wilson. “We were able to manage the runoff from such an incredible, record-breaking snowpack because of a combination of early planning, improved infrastructure, cutting-edge data, around-the-clock debris clearing, and a season of perfect weather.”
Over the course of the spring, Salt Lake County distributed enough sand to fill 500,000 sandbags, and people throughout the county showed up in droves to fill bags, not just for themselves but for their families, neighbors, and their communities.
Throughout the season, the Salt Lake County watershed team monitored snowpack depth and density to inform streamflow forecasting. This data helped direct the efforts of the Flood Control teams to the areas most in need.
Decades of infrastructure improvements since 1983 greatly improved the ability of Salt Lake County Flood Control and local partners to control water flows, manage debris, and plan for runoff seasons like this one. Important mitigation improvements since 1983 include the addition of reservoirs, county-specific hazard-mitigation plans, improved flood maps, better maintained drainage ditches, debris basins, and detention basins. Thanks to improved facilities and year-round maintenance, today’s creeks, culverts, and pipes can carry a great deal more water than they could in 1983.
The county is proud to say we have come through the 2023 spring runoff season successfully. Our work protected lives, homes, and businesses. Now, Salt Lake County is offering locations for residents to drop off their sandbags for free or come pick up free sand through July 15. Find locations at slco.to/dropoff.
Flood Control teams will continue to work on maintenance of the over 600 plus miles of creeks and canals within Salt Lake County, and thanks to the high levels of runoff, have a busy season of dredging and maintenance ahead of them.
