Beaver shuts off pressurized irrigation over flooding issues

BEAVER — City officials in Beaver said they had to shut off the area’s pressurized irrigation system until further notice because dirty water from flooding has entered it.

The announcement was made as thunderstorms developed over the Cottonwood Fire burn area on Tuesday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning. Doppler radar indicated that a quarter to over a half-inch of rain fell over the fire’s burn scar.

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“Excessive rainfall over the burn scar will result in debris flow moving through the Beaver Creek downstream towards the Grove area in Beaver City,” they wrote in the alert. “The debris flow can consist of rock, mud, vegetation and other loose materials, but is expected to be largely muddy water and some tree debris.”

Utah Division of Emergency Management officials set up a camera along state Route 153 that showed the fast-moving waters and some buildup in the creek next to the highway. The alert expires at 8 p.m. Tuesday night.

U.S. Forest Service officials said previous showers helped moderate fire behavior, but also caused some small flooding on Monday.

Tuesday’s warning was issued a day after Beaver County officials held a public meeting over flash flooding concerns. Several communities near recent fires have started filling sandbags to prepare for flash flooding risks at burn scars.

Flooding risks are expected to persist throughout the week with monsoonal showers in the forecast.

The Cottonwood Fire, Utah’s second-largest this year, has burned more than 97,000 acres east of Beaver since it started last month. Approximately 150 structures were destroyed by it, making it one of the state’s most destructive on record.

This story may be updated