Salt Lake County Residents Warned After Severe Flooding in Rose Park

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Just two days after experiencing severe flooding, Salt Lake County leaders are advising residents in similar areas to take preventive measures against more flooding. The Rose Park neighborhood saw water levels rise dramatically, filling city storm drains and flooding homes.

Hanh Ly, a resident whose home was affected, described the scene: “The water is all the way to our knees and all our childhood memories, everything’s gone.” The flooding was caused by an overflow from a drainage ditch behind her home.

Kade Moncur, the director of the Salt Lake County Flood Control Division, noted that the intense rainstorm dropped a significant amount of water specifically over the Rose Park area. He mentioned that four out of five of the county’s storm pumps were manually activated in response to rising water levels.

Moncur explained, “We started getting phone calls around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday that we’re seeing rising water levels. We were there within 20 minutes.” He added that the electric pumps activate instantly, while the diesel pumps require additional time to power on. The fifth pump is currently used for spare parts.

He elaborated on the purpose of the pumps, stating, “I think sometimes there’s this idea that the pumps are there to prevent flooding. Though that would be nice, these pumps are there to keep water moving through the system.” He highlighted a problem with the area’s geography, which has very little slope, contributing to flooding challenges.

Despite the age of the pumps, Moncur confirmed they operated effectively, though they were no match for the excessive water. He likened the situation to a bathtub that takes a long time to drain. “There was so much water that the storm drain stopped functioning,” he added.

He noted that the Rose Park Westpointe area is known for flooding, but acknowledged this particular event was extraordinary. Moncur concluded, “I wish we could prevent flooding, but that is just not possible. If these pumps did not exist, we would have a longer lasting flood that drains significantly slower.”