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Show Saturday. July 24. -- S DAM Continued from A jr.l IW, TUB DAILY HI RAI D, Provo, Utah rrr: 1 Continued from Al r T one knows how the computer chips will react if they are unable t ' " to recognize the new dates of : 2000. Some people are preparing for - 'the worst, including power out-- ! - ages, loss of heat and problems with technology. They are storing food and water and making sure their families know what to do if the new year comes with new problems. Utah County has a number of other potential disasters that are (5. unlike Y2K because they don't come with dates of onset. Earthquakes are possible along the nearby Wasatch fault line, but when they could begin and how much damage they could cause cannot be known. Deer The Creek and ' Jordanelle dams could leak or even break, and residents who live downstream would have to be ready with little notice. Some local residents are preparing for such disasters. People who understand the dams and flood potential said that is good practice. Gary Clayton of Manti served " as the emergency services divi-- " sion commander for the Utah County Sheriffs Office during the floods of 1983. The dams : weren't at fault that year. Two wet years in a row, high snow pack and warm temperatures contributed to the flooding, Clayton said. " "The river ran high for a month, at least a month, and there were homes along the river ' that had water in their basement," he said. Improvements were made as a result of that flood, Clayton said. He said he helped initiate bid proposals for the city to purchase flood warning sirens. The " sirens are now placed along .University Avenue. Vidmar said those who study , the local dams say disasters such as hefty floods and sudden dam the Deer Creek and Jordanelle dams. The Jordanelle Dam is six miles north of Heber City. After hearing word of a dam failure, the bureau notifies local authorities in Utah and '- , ( failures are rare events estimat-- ' ed to occur only once in 10,000 years. Even that is a conserva- tive probability, he said. Dams have failed in the past, ' ' however. " In 1976, the Teton Dam near Rexburg, Idaho, ruptured, releas- ': ing water that led to the deaths of 11 people. "Dams have failed and they do cause death," Vidmar said. Holding back water In 1976, Idaho residents quickly learned about the deadly effects of a sudden flood. A leak in the new Teton Dam " 'turned into a serious problem within hours. Homes and farms . were flooded with billions of gallons of water. The rushing water .and debris caused more than $1 . billion in damage, and 11 people died. Vidmar stressed that one of 11 people who died had a the ; heart attack. The other 10 were evacuated to safety, but decided ' ' to return to examine the damage. " '! Those 10 then got caught in the ' flood and died, he said. , Ever since the breach of the Teton Dam, the Bureau of Reclamation has been keeping " ' close watch on federal dams. It has completed safety studies and drawn inundation maps to show which areas would be covered by water as a result of ; hi. dam breaks and probable maxi-mufloods. The maps, which been distributed to local . have authorities, show how quickly people in certain areas need to ' , evacuate. The Bureau of Reclamation continues to monitor two federal ; '""dams that could result in the "flooding of Provo. The Deer Creek Dam is located 15 miles The of Provo. northeast Jordanelle Dam is about six miles north of Heber City. The Deer Creek Dam was Vidmar built between 1938-194- r . , , , sfms (&Vi V" The warning messages to offer a couple different views of Deer Creek Dam, which holds back 150,000 acre feet of water. ats. 1 MUf"1 .. iijiiiVtnn !,,,, said. It holds about 1 50,000 acre feet of water in a reserve. An arre foot is equal to an acre covered by water 1 foot in depth. The Jordanelle Dam was built between 1987 and 1991. It holds about 320,300 acre feet of water, or double the contents of Deer Creek reservoir. Vidmar explained that both of the dams were put in place to store water, especially for dry times in Utah. Much of the water is used for drinking, but a portion of Jordanelle's reserve irrigates Heber Valley, he said. Flooding Provo Bot h of the dams were built by the federal government but now are maintained by local water users. The Provo River Water Users Association is in charge of the Deer Creek Dam and the Water Utah District manages the Jordanelle Dam, Vidmar Central Conservancy said. The water users must reimburse the federal government for the cost of the dams, Vidmar said. Jordanelle Dam cost $114 million to build. The jurisdiction over the dams is a complex issue considering the number of entities that built, control and are affected by the water reserves. Even after the cost of the dams is reimbursed, Deer Creek and Jordanelle remain federal dams, Vidmar said. Both structures are located in Wasatch County If the dams break, however, the flooding primarily will affect only one city in yet another area. Provo will receive the brunt of the incoming water. Major flooding in Provo could happen if a sudden dam failure, somewhat like Teton, destroyed the Deer Creek or Jordanelle dams. A sudden dam failure is not common, Vidmar said. Most likely, a leak will begin and worsen before failing the dam. That process could add hours of warning for people who need to evacuate, he said. The two most common ways flooding could happen are excessive rainfall and a dam failure, Vidmar said. Theoretically, the Jordanelle Dam was built to be able to contain the maximum amount of rainfall for this area. Jordanelle is also supposed to be able to withstand the largest earthquake calculated for the Wasatch Front, Vidmar said. That earthquake would have a magnitude of 7.5. The earthquake that shook Park City weeks ago did not damage the Jordanelle Dam, Vidmar said. The quake had a magnitude of 3.5. Vidmar said the bureau does know that if the Jordanelle Dam breaks, the Deer Creek Dam will follow. The Deer Creek reservoir cannot hold all of the water the Jordanelle Dam contains. Even if the reservoir were completely empty, the amount of water behind Jordanelle still would overtop Deer Creek Dam and eventually destroy it, Vidmar said. "If you overtop an earth dam for very long, it will fail," he said. If the Deer Creek Dam breaks during a period of excess rainfall, the water will start to flow down the canyon in waves, eventually reaching a potential height of 85 feet, Vidmar said. 'This isn't just one gush of water and it's over with," he said. wall of water The would reach the mouth of the canyon and then fan out along Provo's lowlands. The depth of water at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center would be several feet, Vidmar said. The depth at 85-fo- Carl, Dottie & Sharee Real Estate hvfessimals "3 limes Ibe Servicer 489-486- 6 Daily Herald photos by JASON OLSON , Provo City Airport would be a couple of feet. Most of Orem and southern Utah County cities should remain dry, he said. Warning times of sites in Provo would be covered with water if A number the dams upstream break. Park, the Riverwoods business district. Cougar Stadium, downtown Provo and even areas as far south as Utah Vivian Lake would experience flooding. The amount of warning time depends on how bad the flood is and how far away the location is from the dam. According to federal reports, people living near Vivian Park in Provo Canyon would have about s hours to one and evacuate once a sudden dam break was reported at Jordanelle Dam. The report states that people living near the Columbia Lane Bridge in Provo would have about two and a half hours to respond. Warning times lessen if the Deer Creek Dam breaks because Deer Creek is closer to Provo. Reports state that those near Vivian Park would have between one half hour and an hour to leave the area once Deer Creek breaks. Provo residents who live farther away from the dam would have between 60 to 90 minutes to evacuate. Vidmar said residents likely will have a much longer time, even as long as a number of hours, to evacuate because warnings will come as soon as a prob- - three-quarter- lem is detected. He said warnings won't wait until the dam has completely failed. "You don't want to cry wolf, but you don't want to not evacuate people if there's a dam failure," he said. Vidmar said he believes there will be enough time to warn people of a pending flood if it occurs. He said emergency agencies need about four hours to announce warnings ai d finish evacuation. Vidmar sai l he also thinks the roadways should be able to accommodate p - pie who will flee south or to higher country. In the case of flooding, Vidmar said to head away from Provo River. Don't drive through the flood plain to get to higher ground, he said. Karen Mayne, emergency coordinator for the Provo Police ing calls for immediate evacuation of the flood plain. Karen Mayne, emergency coordinator for the Provo Police Department, said local authorities ask that dam operators contact them no matter the level of emergency. Upon notification, the police department has a number of ways to communicate warnings to the public. Mayne said the department will post a message on the Emergency Broadcast System. KBYU Channel 11 and KSL Channel 5 television stations will also be used to share information. The corresponding radio stations will also carry warning messages Mayne said. KBYU radio is h '.1 FM and KSL radio is 1160 AM. Provi able channel, 42, is i anothe; irce for emergency messa; Police Department The I'l l also h;..- - ;u ss to three sirens located aio'ii; University Avenue south of the mouth of Provo Canyon. One siren is near the Riverwoods business district at 5200 North, another is next to Will's Pit Stop at 3700 North, and a third is by the Riverside Country Club at 2700 North. The sirens were put in place after the lengthy flood in Provo during 1983, Mayne said. A signal will blare over the sirens during a dam emergency. The police department can also talk over the sirens and deliver simple warnings. sample Mayne provided warnings: "Turn to your local Department, said residents should prepare for floods by havkits accessible. ing Those living in flood zones need to remember to put important documents in places that 72-ho- likely won't get wet, she said. Clayton said families should also discuss where they will meet after an emergency if they become separated. "People don't need to be panicked about anything," Clayton said. "They just need to be deliberate and make provisions." emergency station or cable channel" or "Evacuation may be necessary. Please prepare." Mayne said the sirens have a distinctive sound that is different from the sirens used with police and fire vehicles. "It's kind of a wailing sound," she said. The, iw?ns have been tested and peojjlejin their homes heard the warnings, she said. Excess noise in the house might make it difficult to hear the wailing, however. "They're going to have to be alert," she said. fi I T ifc-- v f "Kickin' 9 lLa V3l 372-200- 0 i riming" n-the-- Mo with CHMU1F CRUlfr (5:30-- 9 I TVU gROWN A.M.) 14, 1999 - 10 a.m. to 10 At UVSC's McKay Events Center August 13 & p.m. Kennel Club Dog Fair Cf ILy ""gft&OMiu... Rock Climbing Wall Martial Arts Demonstrations Chili Cook-Of- f M.J Petting Farm Lots of Fun Things for the Kids JU bo County Fair For The New Millennium Entertainment A Utah www.excelhomeloans.com - These photos HOME LOANS .COM 5 Minute Phone OHn npins sow al toJoyl C.- Above and below: Clwy ti V Bureau reports state that the first level of caution is an advisement that communicates concern for the dam's safety. The second level is an advisement of a need for preparation. A stronger warning stresses a possibility of a dam failure and calls for ev acuation of the flood plain. The highest level of warn- jfmm j0mm m ay jv, Wasatch counties. In real emergencies such as dam failures, some of those steps might be bypassed. Denos said his employees can call emergency agencies right away if something needs to be done quickly. local authorities fall into four categories. 4- Get Cash for Vacation, Home Improvements ? 4-POf High Interest Credit Debt t Lower Your Monthly Payments I Page A3 WARNINGS fcffe&tc . - And Much More! 999 Miss Utah County Pageant August 12th - 7 p.m. on the Main Stage 1 |