Rivers jumping banks as snow melts

OREM — Bloated rivers, swollen from quickly melting snowpack, smashed through culverts and took out roads across Utah County as temperatures continued to rise Monday.

East of Spanish Fork, the Diamond Fork river pushed through a $10,000 steel culvert in the Diamond Fork Canyon, crumpling it like tin foil.

The year-old culvert is big enough to drive a car through, yet couldn't withstand the pressure of the water and debris racing down from the mountains.

The culvert gave in and was pushed away from the Three Forks bridge it was under and was found a few feet away with water still rushing around it, said Loyal Clark, spokeswoman for Uinta National Forest.

Access to the Three Forks trailhead has been closed and will remain that way until a new culvert is in place. However, officials said, nothing can be done until the water recedes.

The only campground in the area is downstream and far enough away from the river to not be threatened.

Recent water flow amount, rapid snow melt and high snowpack levels are all factors in the culvert damage, but flowing debris carries most of the blame, Clark said. Large boulders and trees that flowed downstream were the biggest problem behind the displaced culvert.

"This is just related to snowpack melt," Clark said. "The ideal situation is if it melts slowly and it comes off in a measured amount that doesn't cause a problem. Rapid snow melt with these hot temperatures has brought all the snowpack down."

Saratoga Springs and Lehi are also dealing with flooded fields and washed-out roads. After Dry Creek spilled over its banks Saturday, it wound its way through ditches and across the road.

County crews helped the misdirected drainage find a new path by cutting a 8-foot-wide by 4-foot-deep swath across 7350 North to help the water on its way to Utah Lake.

Commuters who use the 7350 North road to avoid traffic on Main Street in Lehi will have to find a new route. The road will be impassible for a while.

One home was affected and was inaccessible as of Monday afternoon, Saratoga Springs Mayor Timothy Parker said. A handful of other fields are quickly filling up like ponds.

However, despite potential restraining measures, such as a culvert, there is enough snowpack on the mountains that warmer temperatures will bring more water into Dry Creek, which is "no longer dry," Parker said.