Sugar House Park reopened to vehicles

SALT LAKE CITY — Vehicle traffic was temporarily closed to Sugar House Park on Sunday because of rising water levels in the duck pond.

Salt Lake County Parks And Recreation announced Sunday on Twitter that the park has reopened to vehicles.

1/3 | At this time (4/16, 7 am), Sugar House Park is OPEN to vehicles again.#PeopleParksPlay #Flooding #Safety pic.twitter.com/osX9wPZ5wM

— Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation (@SLCOParksandRec) April 16, 2023

In a statement, an agency representative said that water is intentionally redirected to retention basins like Sugar House Park.

“Retention basins are part of long-standing plans to mitigate and lessen the impacts of spring runoff. The situation at Sugar House Park will continue to be assessed.”

Still, before the county ordered vehicles out of the park, hundreds of volunteers were filling hundreds of sandbags north and east of the pond.

 

Before declaring the park closed to cars, Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation tweeted that the park “was working as intended for flood control.”

1/4: Sugar House Park is working as intended for flood control. If you’ve visited the park in the last few weeks, or the last couple of hours, you’ll notice the water levels are growing: that’s on purpose because the park acts as a retention basin to protect people and property. pic.twitter.com/5bAidMxhyb

— Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation (@SLCOParksandRec) April 15, 2023

Parley’s Creek feeds the duck pond, which is actually a flood retention basin during the spring runoff season. As it rises, a spillway and hydraulically operated headgate control the water. They direct the water into a storm drain and, eventually, into the Jordan River.

Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation said they are keeping an eye on the rising water levels of the retention basin

2/4: Sugar House Park | We’re working closely with @SLCPublicLands to assess water levels and keep guests safe. We’ll be sharing updates on social media as the weather continues to warm up and snow continues to melt. pic.twitter.com/fzidnHqHfO

— Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation (@SLCOParksandRec) April 15, 2023

While people on bicycles are still allowed in the park, they are urged to stay away from the water which the county described as cold and fast-moving.

We will update this story as more information becomes available. 

Related reading:

• Cities across Utah continue to fight flooding
• Where to get sandbags to help mitigate possible flooding in Utah
• Volunteers needed for flood mitigation

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