Salt Lake City residents prepare for flood prevention after 2023 damage

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Salt Lake residents are wondering what the city is doing to prevent another round of damage to homes and streets after flooding in 2023.

Rivers and streams across the state have already filled up, with some nearing flood levels.

Alex Burkemper lives across the street from Wasatch Hollow Preserve, a park that flooded in 2023.

The flooding started off slow, but when people came with sandbags, he knew it would be a big problem.

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“It was pretty crazy," Burkemper said. "We had sandbags maybe up to our waists, and the water was getting pretty violent, too.”

The water was also waist-deep in some spots during peak runoff.

Eventually, city crews had to funnel the excess through Burkemper's backyard.

“It just, kind of, flowed right down here into our neighbor’s back yard over there, kind of curving around our house,” he said.

Burkemper was confident last year’s flooding was a one-time issue.

RELATED: Road flooding forces closure of State Route 201

Salt Lake City Public Utilities Deputy Director Jesse Stewart said the flooding was caused by a mechanical problem that has since been fixed by the county. However, he said they’re still keeping close watch over the weather and the snowpack.

"We have a flood plan manager and we also know where the pinch points are in our system," Stewart said.

He said Utah Lake is already full, and they’re expecting to see higher than normal flows in the Jordan River.

Still, they’re not as concerned about flooding as they were a year ago.

“There’s not as much snow and there’s not as much snow-water equivalent. So, we’re being very vigilant, again, but it’s not as heightened as it was last year because of the record-breaking snowpack we had,” Stewart said.

A representative from Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s office said the mayor is confident in the sandbagging preparations being made, just in case there is unexpected flooding. They said the early release from Little Dell Reservoir will keep potential flooding at bay.

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