Flooding from Buckley Draw burn scar leads to Provo road closures
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- Water flow from the Buckley Draw burn scar closes roads Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Provo.
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- Water flow from the Buckley Draw burn scar closes roads Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Provo.
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- Water flow from the Buckley Draw burn scar closes roads Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Provo.
Heavy rainfall over the Buckley Draw burn scar area flooded Provo roadways below the mountainside and led to closures Monday afternoon.
Portions of Slate Canyon Drive, Nevada Avenue and the northbound lane of State Street were closed Monday as UDOT and city cleanup crews cleared water from the roadways.
Provo city spokesperson Nicole Martin said prior diversion protective measures were intended to keep the water on the roadways and prevented property from being damaged.
The flooding comes nearly a month after a mudslide from the Buckley Draw Fire burn scar spilled into the valley and damaged a meetinghouse for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Martin said the city was notified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Sunday of a potential storm over the burn scar between 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. that could pour upwards of one inch of rain, prompting the city to make preparations, including barricade placement.
“In response to that, our crews were placing equipment for added protection, and then we had teams that remained on site throughout the evening,” Martin said.
Though heavy rain did not occur Sunday night, preparations were still in place when a storm struck Buckley Draw on Monday afternoon.
“The city has been closely monitoring the area impacted by the Buckley Draw Fire. Understanding the wildfire made it vulnerable to subsequent debris flows,” Provo City said in a statement.
An existing debris channel protected homes beneath the draw from last month’s mudslide; however, the channel ended at a development plot east of Slate Canyon Drive and Nevada Avenue, and mud flowed through the development and over the roads, piling up at the church.
The church remains closed for repairs.
Provo City said it is requiring the developer to extend the debris channel to direct debris flow away from future homes.
“We recognize the impacts the previous debris flow had, and our goal is to ensure that any future development includes the infrastructure needed to protect both new and existing buildings,” the city said.
