Severe thunderstorms repeatedly rolled through Moab and Grand County on Friday, August 23, flooding area creeks, which forced the temporary closure of several streets throughout the city that were impacted by water, mud, and debris. All streets except 300 South were reopened by early Saturday morning, August 24.
Mill Creek spilled from its banks along 300 South, flooding the roadway and covering the street in mud and debris. City crews are working Saturday morning to remove debris, and the street is closed from 100 East to 200 East while that work is done. (Image: Crews remove debris from underpass at 300 South bridge)
Over two hours Friday night, Mill Creek and Pack Creek flows rose rapidly. The two creeks converge in the City of Moab east of 200 South. The USGS water gauge below 500 West, downstream from the confluence of Mill and Pack creeks, rose from 0.36 cubic feet per second (cfs) at 6:45 p.m. to a peak of 6,600 cfs by 8:30 p.m. on Friday.
“It seems that these intense storms bringing heavy rain and flooding are becoming the norm for our area,” said Moab Mayor Joette Langianese. “The capital projects needed to reduce flooding in Mill Creek will cost tens of millions and require studies and approval from multiple federal agencies. This will be a years-long process, and this community needs federal and state financial assistance to accomplish the necessary tasks. In the meantime, the city is doing everything possible to quickly respond to these storms, keep the public informed of the situation, and clean up after the events have passed. We appreciate the support and patience of everyone in our community.”
The City of Moab has identified several projects that could help with flooding in town in the future. These include rebuilding the 300 South and 500 West bridges to improve water flow; constructing a detention structure upstream in the Mill Creek drainage to better control the amount of water rushing downstream into town; and continuing to work with the National Resource Conservation Service and other federal agencies to assess changes to the Mill Creek floodplain areas within city limits so we can identify specific mitigation projects in that area.
“There are no quick fixes to manage what were, until recently, once-in-a-lifetime catastrophic flood events,” said Interim City Manager David Everitt. “When we’re dealing with waterways, the process for evaluation and project approval is complex. That said, we are focused on projects that will make a significant difference when these floods do happen and are working with federal agencies and our representatives in Congress to seek the support and funding needed to accomplish this work.”
As with every major flooding event, the community is asked to report damage to homes or businesses through the self-reporting survey at https://arcg.is/1Svf9
This survey will help the affected areas better coordinate resources and cleanup efforts.
The survey is also available in Spanish at https://arcg.is/L48Wb
Track your volunteer efforts to help local government meet in-kind grant matches to further assist in recovery efforts. Use this link to track volunteer efforts: https://forms.gle/UegPmdaFUpRokjmTA
Sign up for Grand County Emergency Alerts to receive life-saving emergency alerts, advanced warning of severe weather, and community notifications. Sign up for phone, cell phone, and/or email alerts at GrandCountyAlerts.org
Sandbags are available for anyone who needs them at the former Red Rock Elementary School property across from Rotary Park on Mill Creek Drive. Please bring a shovel to fill bags.
The Canyonlands Solid Waste Authority announced Saturday that it will accept storm debris free of charge at the Moab Landfill on Sand Flats Road through August 31. The Moab Landfill will be open Monday through Saturday next week from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 435-259-6314 with questions.
This season’s storms have continued to uproot trees along the creeks and wash brush and debris along Mill Creek into Moab. It appears that the uprooted trees are also dislodging other trees and carrying them along in the floodwaters. To help mitigate this problem, City officials are asking the public to report any trees that appear unstable along the creek beds to county dispatch so they can be removed before they become part of the flood debris.
For questions or additional information email communication@moabcity.org.