- Flooding dangers now follow recent fires in Salt Creek canyon
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By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Many times floods follow the destruction of vegetation by wildland fire.
That is a concern that Juab County Commissioners have for Nephi following the Salt Creek Fire. They fear that there may be flooding in rain storms predicted for the coming week and for the coming spring as snow pack melts and heads to the valley.
They are also concerned that the Salt Creek Fire might just be one of many this summer.
“This is early for our fire season,” said Val Jones, Juab County Commission chairman.
He said the worst month, traditionally, for wildland fire in Juab County was August. In the past, there have been fires caused by lightening during that month.
“We aren’t even in our worst time for fire. We usually have a lot of dry lightening in August,” he said.
In addition, this year the vegetation is extremely dry because of the long duration of drought conditions.
The worry about flooding commissioners have has already hit Fountain Green as several homes there were flooded as the rain water swept through the town on July 25, Wednesday night.
Worst hit was the W. Jacobson home where friends and family worked through the night pumping several feet of water out of their basement.
“Flash floods may be an issue,” said Chad Winn, commissioner.
That was just what happened in Fountain Green—a flash flood. The Jacobsons saw a wall of water headed their direction shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday. Soon after, the raging water flooded their two-story brick home and filling the basement with muddy water.
The water first filled two of the home’s window wells, then shattered the glass to dump two-feet of water into the basement. The home is the one of the first on the north side of the city and, for that reason, may have taken the brunt of the water.
However, other homes were also flooded.
“The vegetation and the trees because of the fire are gone, so there’s nothing to hold it and it just came,” said Melba Jacobson.
“There is also a watershed issue,” said Val Jones, county commission chairman.
He said since the fire had burned around the Bradley Springs area near the Camperworld campground, the vegetation there had been eliminated. Therefore, keeping the necessary integrity of the water shed would be an issue.
“I know Nephi City is working on that,” said Jones.
Core watershed parameters that are applicable to all lands providing drinking water deal with conditions, disturbances and land use changes that affect peak flows and pollution discharges. These are known as stressors.
There is the risk that stressors will affect ecological function and watershed uses that people value. For example, as drainage density increases, or as water quality drops below standards, the risks of pollutant delivery to water, or not meeting human needs for water, increases.
Watersheds with high stress and high-risk characteristics have less integrity than those with lower stress and risk.
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