MIDVALE — Elected officials and emergency responders say they learned several lessons in June 2010, when Little Cottonwood Creek overflowed and flooded areas of Salt Lake County.

And with the potential for flooding high again this year, they intend to be ready.

"Last year, I think, was a little bit of a wake-up call for everyone," Utah Fire Authority Chief Michael Jensen said. "We're looking at what happened last year (and identifying) areas of concern."

Jensen joined Mayor Peter Corroon and other Salt Lake County officials Monday for a news conference along the bank of Little Cottonwood Creek to talk about preparations being made to prevent a repeat of last year.

"We're trying to coordinate beforehand with all of the potential entities, trying to get as much coordination done upfront so we're not duplicating resources," Jensen said.

Last year, county officials coordinated on the fly with their counterparts in Midvale, Murray, Cottonwood Heights and Sandy, trying to keep flood waters out of homes near the raging creek.

At the time, officials said the flow of water was the largest since 1983 — a flood that saw State Street in Salt Lake City essentially transformed into a river.

Salt Lake County officials say snowpack in the mountains east of the Salt Lake Valley is between 130 percent and 140 percent of average — a higher level than a year ago.

And like 2010, this spring has been wet and cool, preventing that snow from gradually melting.

If temperatures suddenly shoot up into the 80s and 90s, as they did in early June 2010, the amount of water coming out of the mountains may be too much for the various channels to handle, said Scott Baird, the county's director of flood control.

"If we were to see temperatures in the 70s for the next several weeks and be able to melt down that snow gradually, we would be in good shape," Baird said.

With fingers figuratively crossed, Salt Lake County crews already have filled 5,000 sandbags, and another 5,000 are expected to be ready by the end of April. The county has about 100,000 empty sandbags on hand, and another 100,000 were ordered Monday, Baird said.

The county also has stockpiled roughly 400 tons of large, angular rock called "rip rap" to place along stream beds. Unlike round rocks sometimes used by landscapers along creeks, "rip rap" can withstand the forces of the running water, he said.

In addition, county officials have worked with the Unified Police Department and Unified Fire Authority to put together a countywide map of "hot spots" along each creek, and they've assessed the the sandbag and heavy-equipment needs for each of those locations.

Staging areas where officials were to coordinate official and volunteer flood-prevention efforts also have been preselected.

"We're hoping for the best but preparing for the worst," Corroon said.

Salt Lake County residents also can help with the flood-prevention efforts by making sure they aren't contributing to potential flooding problems.

Part of the reason water was flowing down State Street during the flooding of 1983 was a debris jam in the City Creek conduit, Baird said.

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"One of the biggest things we can do as property owners is (to) keep debris out of the creeks and keep that from becoming a clogging hazard downstream," he said.

Grass clippings, sticks or branches should not be thrown into the creek, added Jeff Graviet, Salt Lake County's emergency services coordinator.

"They eventually come down to our grates and culverts, and that's where it causes us a significant amount of problems," Graviet said.

Baird said county crews have made several improvements to its flood-control system in the past 25 years in an effort to prevent any repeats of '83. Debris and detention basins have been constructed, channels have been enlarged and improved, and all new bridges and culverts are being built to higher standards.

"All of those preparations will go toward making a future flood event more manageable," he said.

That said, Mother Nature may have other ideas for the Salt Lake Valley in the coming weeks.

"Mother Nature will do what she pleases," Corroon said, "but we want to be prepared, and we will be prepared."

The county said if flooding does occur, people will be able to volunteer to help and get other information at slcoem.org.

Also, check KSL's exclusive river flow tracker for updates on flood potential.

Email:jpage@ksl.com

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