UTAH COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) – The Utah County Commission officially declared a state of emergency after suffering what they say is about $10 million in flood-related damages.
According to a press release, Utah County had set aside $2 million in the 2023 budget for potential flooding expenses after the extremely wet winter season. So far this season Utah County and cities within the County have reportedly incurred about $10,218,000 in flood-related damages.
Just last week, the parking lot of Lehi Elementary School was temporarily flooded by streams of water due to the spring runoff. Lehi City Communications Manager Jeanteil Livingston told ABC4 at the time the city had things under control as crews worked to place sandbags to redirect water flows.
Under the state of emergency, city officials would be able to apply for and request additional resources to help with flooding, including state and federal funding.
Utah County’s state of emergency went into effect on Tuesday, May 30, and will remain in effect over the next 30 days The Utah County Commission could vote to end the state of emergency or extend it further, if necessary.
Utah County Commission said crews from Public Works, Emergency Management, and local cities have been working for several months in anticipation of flooding and to mitigate the risks of flood damage.
According to the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Utah still has 3.4 inches of its historic snow water equivalent (SWE) as of May 31. Utah’s SWE peaked at 30 inches in April. The historic snowfall from Utah’s winter has raised flood concerns throughout Utah.
The announcement of Utah County’s state of emergency comes the same day as Sandy City in Salt Lake County announced a state of emergency in anticipation of flooding due to a rise in local waterways.
In early April, Davis County experienced significant flooding-related damages after a road collapsed in Kaysville.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared a statewide state of emergency in April in response to the rise of potential flooding due to the spring runoff. That declaration was extended after a vote by Utah State legislature during a special session in May.
