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SALT LAKE CITY — Record-breaking snowpack this winter has led to intense flooding in the Salt Lake Valley reminiscent of the floods of 1983. The key to combating that flooding, former Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson says, is the same as it was 40 years ago: residents who show up to help.
In 1983, after a large snowpack year, a sharp increase of temperature almost overnight led to massive amounts of water coming down from the mountains into the valley, resulting in some of the largest floods in Utah history. Ted Wilson, who was Salt Lake City's mayor at the time, said the cities had to adapt to circumstances they hadn't envisioned.
"It was a very difficult thing because we didn't understand a lot of things we understand now," he told KSL on Saturday. "I think flooding in an inevitable part of living in this state. We need to be prepared every year."
Luckily, Utahns learned a lot from those floods and have instituted infrastructure and other mitigation efforts to be more prepared for flooding this year. This includes the Little Dell Reservoir, built near the mouth of Parleys Canyon, that created a storage facility upstream, as well as a county-run storm drain facility in the Wasatch Hollow neighborhood of Salt Lake City.
As he watched flood waters rise on Wednesday, and a river form along 1700 South, Ted Wilson said he was amazed at how quickly word went out and how many people showed up to help with sandbagging.
"People got word, changed clothes and went out the front door and grabbed a shovel, and there they were," he said. "It is a community coming together — and in America today, that's one of our greatest needs. If we can share that need with people and help build America ... we just need to re-spark it."
The former mayor said volunteering to fill sandbags can make for a wonderful and fun day for families. His daughter Jenny Wilson, Salt Lake County's current mayor, visited several sandbag filling locations Saturday, joining the hundreds of Utahns who came out to help communities across the county be ready for more flooding.
Jenny Wilson said she's heard stories from her dad about being mayor during the 1983 floods and, as a senior in high school, she remembers joining in sandbag filling events back then.
"My dad felt very committed to our environment when he was mayor," she said. "I think '83 was a pivotal year for us to know what can happen when we live in this beautiful environment."
Investments from federal, state, county and local governments over the years ensure "intentional" moves have been made to support infrastructure and crews for flood control, Jenny Wilson said.
Just by looking at all the snow still up the canyons, she knows there will be more water coming down and there will be damage. But with the county's flood control team, city governments and residents working together, she believes that damage can be minimized.
"This will be an ongoing operation," the county mayor said Saturday, "So bring your suntan oil and your sunblock. I think we are going to be at this through the spring."
Jenny Wilson said she is so grateful for all of the volunteers who have showed up to help. Floods are an emergency and a community event, she said, and local governments can't do it without the help of residents.
"It's been special to hear his stories over the years about the '83 flood. (Ted Wilson) to this day feels that was the moment that really defined his time as mayor," the county mayor said. "The community came together. We all remember the big river down State Street — that was a pretty scary time period — but again, the community showed up just like they're showing up now."
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall also volunteered filling sandbags at Sugar House Park on Saturday as part of the kickoff to her reelection campaign. She called Ted Wilson her friend and mentor and said he still serves voluntarily on the city's public utility advisory board.
According to Mendenhall, Ted Wilson's institutional knowledge he has built into the system is critical to flood mitigation today.
"When we started to see these rising snow levels in the middle of winter, people like Ted were able to help us say, 'What is our strategy come runoff season?'" she said.
Mendenhall said the city and county have an ongoing collaboration with flood prevention and mitigation, and she has been touched by how many volunteers from the community have shown up for other people.
"It's not surprising but it's always moving. It's a beautiful thing. If you were there on Wednesday night on 1700 South, you would've seen a lot of happy people — people happy to come out and work side by side with strangers," she said. "The spirits were high and we were able to literally turn the tide of what was happening."
