Some N. Utah farms flooded by releases from Cutler Reservoir

Farmers near the Bear River system below northern Utah's Cutler Reservoir are waiting for water to recede from their land, flooded when Utah Power was forced to dump water from the reservoir.

One farmer interviewed by the Deseret Morning News said he was not told of the releases before they began, although they were somewhat expected. After farms were flooded, a culvert was cut across a road, allowing water to pour into Bird River Migratory Bird Refuge west of Brigham City.

So much rain fell Thursday and Friday that it and snowmelt runoff water raised the reservoir's level toward a federally mandated limit, said Jeff Hymas, spokesman for Utah Power, which operates the reservoir.

"More than 50 percent of the total rainfall for the month of April came within a 24-hour period," he said. The total on Thursday and Friday was 3.8 inches, measured at Cutler Dam, compared with 6.27 inches for the month.

Jim Watterson, a farmer in Benson, Cache County — whose property is above the dam — said Utah Power "really had to release.

"It was just so full there was no flooding it. It was flooding here in Cache Valley. We actually had water over three different spots in the roads here."

The flood had only receded a couple of inches by late Sunday, he said. His pasture is about 95 percent under water.

"It really got high," said Watterson. "There was a lot of precipitation in a hurry."

At noon Saturday, Utah Power began to release large volumes of water in increments, trying to control the reservoir's level. Peak flow on Saturday afternoon was 8,840 cubic feet per second, he said. At the same time, about 9,000 cfs of rain and runoff water in Box Elder County and Cache Valley was flowing into the reservoir.

By that evening, the utility was able to reduce the flow out of the dam. By Sunday afternoon, it was down to 7,330 cfs.

"The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the area below Cutler" for Friday and Saturday, Hymas said. Utah Power was in contact with law enforcement and others to let them know the reason for the release, he added.

Fred Selman, who raises alfalfa east of Tremonton, said his farm was flooded when the dam began dumping water,

"They just released enough water that it put it over the banks here," along the Bear River, he said. About 40 acres of his land were flooded.

"We got our livestock on higher ground" and they were all right, he said.