SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 15, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Just hours after volunteers at Sugar House Park met Salt Lake City’s sandbag-filling quota Saturday, the park was closed to vehicles due to rising water levels.
The popular park was closed to vehicles about 7 p.m. as water from the pond started to spill over onto roads, city officials said. Park visitors are encouraged to stay away from the water.
“Sugar House Park is working as intended for flood control,” Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation stated on social media about 5 p.m. “If you’ve visited the park in the last few weeks, or the last couple of hours, you’ll notice the water levels are growing. [That’s] on purpose because the park acts as a retention basin to protect people and property.”
City and county parks officials are working together to assess water levels and keep park guests safe.
The water flowing across the road resulted from city public utilities officials’ controlled releases upstream from Mountain Dell Reservoir to maintain runoff capacity ahead of Parleys Creek’s peak runoff, parks officials said.
Elsewhere at Sugar House Park, volunteers filled enough sandbags Saturday that city emergency management officials have canceled sandbag-filling events planned for Sunday.
“Due to the overwhelming amount of people within the community who came out to fill sandbags today at Sugarhouse Park and Rosewood Park, we will not be holding sandbagging events tomorrow,” Salt Lake City Fire Emergency Management stated on social media. “Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and efforts!”
Gov. Spencer Cox was among those who volunteered at Sugar House Park, as pointed out on social media by Salt Lake County Councilwoman Suzanne Harrison and later confirmed by the governor.
“Tried to stay incognito and almost made it. Today was an amazing day. Filling sandbags is good for our community and our souls,” Cox tweeted. “Different parties, different religions, different races, different languages all working together to help our neighbors.”
Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation also shared spring runoff safety tips Saturday for those recreating near water:
- When going outdoors, let someone know where and when you’ll be back.
- Keep clear of waterways, as runoff water can have a strong current and is very cold.
- Know your surroundings and check the weather before you go.
- If someone is caught in water, “reach or throw — don’t go” into the water yourself, and call 911.
- “Turn around, don’t drown” when driving or walking through water on a trail or roadway.
