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I Ia ROAD DAMAGE due to flood waters Is indicated by bv arrows arrows in upper right of photo when the Highline canal right side of road overflowed and made two new channels across the Dry Fork road into the Ashley The entire water systems of Ashley Valley were threatened early Saturday Saturday Saturday Satur- Satur day morning when Ashley Creek just above the diversion of the Highline and Ashley Upper canals decided to change its co course and form a new channel to the west TH THE TROUBLE started in Ashley Creek Cre Cre- ek at the Rex Gardiner a point near farm rn when tr trees es and clogg doff the creek and started overflowing its banks banks to the west In no time time timea a new channel chami l was cut in the soft and sandy soil and d the water went on a rampage empt emptying ing the full creek into the tw two canals canals' them and cutting across oVer over roads farm lands and canal can cane caneal al l banks banks' finally getting back into the original creek bed farther downstream The w water ter flooded around both sides of the Art Lynn home across the paved Dry Drys I and then back making I Upper canal which follows side of the r toad road ad Inthe in inthe the picture Ashley Creek Is the stream in the background back beck ground The Highline canal is emerging from a a tunnel l lIn in the center of the horseshoe bend dirt road Ashley Creek Damages Damage Valley f Canal Systems f two 20 feet deep cuts through the roadway road way The water water then flooded around the Mrs Tommy Caldwell home forming a anew anew anew new mammoth wash in the soft sandy soil and continued down through the Richard Merrill property to the Ashley Creek MAJOR DAMAGES were suffered by bythe bythe bythe the Ashley Upper canal which will take t to t repair reported Dave River Com Commissioner C m. m missioner on on Ashley Creek The Highline canal suffered minor damages dam dam- ages Vernal City's inch 16 wat water r line Une was uncovered for over over 60 60 feet and nd was dangerously threatened and nd will have to be supported and covered bac back DAMAGE TO the county comity road was excessive excessive ex ex- ex washing out two complete cuts through ugh the road roud and another section washing out nearly half the road for several hundred feet The Ft Thornburg diversion works controlling the inflow to reser reservoir reser voir was nearly damaged by filling with silt The rhe quick work wor of L L. L Y Yr Y and Ray R Roberts berts in opening the gates into Ashley Creek kept this diversion point flushed out FINAL REPAIRS will take weeks of work and eme emergency g ncy disaster aid aidis is being being be be- ing sought by canal companies to help finance the necessary work reported Mr Specialists of the and are are checking over the canal estimating dam ages and giving suggestions on how to tomake tomake tomake make repairs and prevent future flood damages inthe in the area COUNTY OFFICIALS were notified at am am a.m. Saturday of the flooding and spent several hours in the dark trying try try- ing to locate the cause and source of the flood waters As soon as it was daylight a dozer was brought in from Vernal Rod and u Gun Club side of the only access to the area crossing the creek to where trees and d debris debris' bris' bris had caused us d the creek to change chang d its its' normal channel THE CREEK flow was was as not unusually high as h had d been expected ted from the heavy rains the previous day but Ht it was the unusually circumstances of of debris debris de de- de bris collection that i caused the overflow overflow- pointed P but The t.-The The creek had been een running higher a a week previously sly The overflow near the Rex Gardiner home tl threatened some of f er i farm la land d and then n came around t the theArt theArt e eArt Art Lynn property one canal on one side and the other on the theother other side and backed up along the roadway as as the volume of water c could uld not all go through the Highline tunnel through the rock rockcliff cliff THE WATER in the Highl Highline canal then overflowed in two places back across the road to th the east ast uncovering the Vernal water main and cutting foot 20 deep w washes through gh the road and joined the Ashley Upper canal cutting a anew new new huge wash through the Mrs Tommy Caldwell farm The new wash took out the road to the Caldwell home a bridge and anda build ing next to the home and cut out about 20 to 30 feet deep in places and nearly nearly near near- ly feet across b in other places By am a.m. ithe the water and the the danger danger washing of out the city water line was wa's was av averted EQUIPMENT CREWS oUi 1 County County Coun ty Stat State Road Department and Vernal City spent most of the the day hauling rock and fill covering the damaged areas for temporary repairs Traffic was restored late Saturday afternoon by temporary fills in the ro road d The City water main was shored shored up to prevent further sagging 1 |
