Courtesy Provo city

In anticipation of potential flooding this spring, Provo’s Public Works Department is seeking help from residents.

Public Works needs help filling 100,000 sandbags by May 1 to prepare for any spring runoff. Volunteer slots are available in four-hour daily shifts with a maximum volunteer count of 80 per shift.

Some shifts, as of Tuesday afternoon, have as few as three volunteers while Saturday shifts have up to 45 — but none have reached the 80 person cut-off. The city encourages individuals, families, clubs, organizations and businesses to join in volunteering.

Volunteers will need to go to the Provo City Public Works Yard, 568 E 1325 South, to fill sandbags. Park vehicles on the street, and then follow the signs into the gate. Residents are encouraged to bring gloves if they have them, if not, the city will some.

According to Joseph Gandy, Public Works public information officer, the areas of focus for potential flooding include the frontal areas of Slate, Provo, and Little Rock Canyons as well as the Provo River. Gandy hopes residents will heed the volunteer call.

Courtesy Provo City

Residents can register to volunteer at http://provocity.info/sandbagvolunteers. Those who have questions are welcomed to send an email to Emily Guerrero at eguerrero@provo.org and they will be answered as soon as possible.

Orem

Orem also has sandbags available for residents to take and fill for potential flooding areas around their homes. According to Pete Wolfley, communications manager, the city is not overly concerned about spring runoff or flooding at this time.

There is only one area around 2000 North, on the east side of the city that the city is monitoring, though concerns may change as the spring continues, according to Wolfley.

Vineyard

Vineyard sits at the edge of Utah Lake and about 90% of the city has been built since the state’s historic floods of the 1980s, but there are still some concerns.

Naseem Ghandour, Vineyard’s public works director, noted three differences between now and years past.

• Utah Lake is currently at approximately 62% capacity compared to the 1983 flooding event that impacted Utah Valley.
• Vineyard City’s new buildings are built to newer engineering standards, Utah Lake flood control agreements and the prior dry seasons have made the likelihood of city-wide flooding minimal.
• In the event of city-wide or isolated flooding that may impact city infrastructure/services to the residents, public works is prepared with over 10,000 sandbags, equipment, aid agreements with neighboring cities and seasoned professionals.

Ashtyn Asay, Daily Herald file photo

The 1983 flooding didn’t occur until the end of May and early June when temperatures spiked quickly from the mid-60s (Fahrenheit) to over 90 degrees.

Some areas of potential flooding concerns include homes built before 1980, basements are now required to have drainage) and Clegg Farm, in the south part of the city which is lower that other areas.

Utah Lake water funnels into the Jordan River basin and the Great Salt Lake. In 1983, Great Salt Lake had higher water levels than it has now. In 1981 and 1982 precipitation was high and in September 1982 rain totals were about 10 times higher than average. In 1983, the state recorded snowfall until May 20, with temperatures in Provo hitting the high 80s to 90s.

Because of the massive flooding, The Compromise Agreement of 1985 established flood protection for Utah Lake Landowners and set Flood Control measures.

Additionally, as Vineyard is a newer city, it has followed post-flood building and engineering standards which provide protection of infrastructure and residents from environmental health hazards. One of these standards is elevation requirements above the historically high levels.

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