Floodwaters take Richfield by surprise

Some Richfield residents more than a half mile from the banks of the Sevier River got a wet surprise Tuesday morning as floodwaters spread across pasture land and lapped at their doors.

Water "got into one home early this morning, but we were able to stop it, and we had to sandbag about eight other homes," Sevier County Sheriff Phil Barney said. "It's a low spot of the river and there had been a number of homes previously sandbagged, but this water came around the back and kind of caught us by surprise."

Barney said the water was deeper than expected, and believes the pasture may once have been a wetlands area or slough.

Only one home had any water inside, and that was limited to 1 to 2 inches, covering just the floors and not causing any major damage, Barney said.

The homes are about 3 miles east of Richfield on U-119, known by locals as Glenwood Road.

Also Tuesday there were reports of some minor road flooding in the Richfield area.

Flood warnings issued by the National Weather Service remained in effect for the Sevier River on Tuesday. The warnings were issued in mid-May and were to remain in place indefinitely, meteorologist Linda Cheng said.

Water monitoring Tuesday showed areas of the Sevier River near the town of Hatch was 4.2 feet deep, above flood stage.

Flood watches also remain in effect for the creeks in Big and Little Cottonwood canyons.

Overall, water levels in many of the state's rivers have begun to subside, weather service reports show.

The lessening flows, cooler temperatures and the declining snowpack have prompted the weather service to allow flood watches to expire for the American Fork River, Dry Creek and the upper Weber River.

Water volumes could creep up again slightly, however, on Wednesday and Thursday, as rain is in the forecast across the state.

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