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Show Parks Officials Deal With Flooding By Tom Wharton Tribune Outdoor Editor Some of the signs of flooding in Utah's State Barks are obvious. There's the closed sign at the entrance to Saltair Beach and the ravaged, flooded entrance station to what was once a causeway at Antelope Island. There's the empty parsing lot and silted In pond at Fort Buenaventura in Ogden, where an open sign below the regular park sign almost begs visitors to enter There are the weeds and cattails growing around the closed visitor center at Utah Lake State Park. , Some are less obvious. So much time is being spent working on flooding problems that other parks program suffer. A boater all but wrecks a new boat on an unmarked, all but hidden object. Parks not affected by the flooding are jammed by people who might normally enjoy the flooded parks. Badly needed funds are being spent by the Division of Parks and Recreation to just keep above water." With the legislature just granting the agency $71)0,000 to repair flood damages and more money coming in from the federal government, DPR officials and planners are scrambling to get major parks like Utah Lake repaired while the weather is good. And, in the case of the Great Salt Lake, they are patiently waiting for the water to go down so they can get one with the process of developing the parks. The Great Salt Lake is the major problem. The causeway to Antelope Island is under water. There is no access to the South Shore, except for a few folks who have boats at the mari- - At Rockport, where the Weber Rivflooded a campground, the camping area has been reconstructed and dikes have been built. marked old rock harbor barrier near Saratoga a good two blocks away from the shoreline. Then, trying to get out, he broke off a propeller and scratched a new boat. We have been telling people, especially at Utah Lake, to be careful," said Ted W'ooley, the DPRs boats and CRV supervisor. "Things that were once above water are now below water. There are a lot of hazzards, but theres not enough money to mark every hazzard in the state. People need to be conscious of where they are operating, especially in a large, shallow lake like Utah Lake. Other lakes where high water is causing problems for boaters include Lake Powell, Strawberry and Soldier Creek. Flooding has slowed development of Fort Buenaventura in Ogden, a beautiful urban historical park which is relatively unknown to most people. W'e were open five years as a fully operational park, said maintenance specialist Russ Martin. "Then, in the summer of 1982, the we had the water. Up until then, it looked like a golf course. It was a very enjoyable place to be. We had great expeca-tlonThere was a pond for canoes, swimming and kids fishing. The flooding killed us. It filled up the pond and closed the roads." "It seems like we go two steps forward and one step back," added Steve Fielding, the DPRs northern region supervisor in what has been a common complaint among parks officials. We spend half our time doing flood cleanup and its hard to get the other stuff were supposed to do done. We havent had time for an interpre-Se- e Column 4 Page er Pjc Halt $akf tibune Recreation Thursday, September Section 13, 1984 Page 6 C certain when the lake's beaches which are one of the state's biggest tourist attractions will open again. It's a great time for planning," said Courtland Nelson, public affairs chief for the DPR. "That's because no one can get ouUhere. Major decisions must be made, particularly on Antelope Island. Will the old causeway be rebuilt? Or, will a shorter causeway from the south shore be constructed? Will the entire island be developed, or will it be left as a wildlife preserve in a relatively primitive state? Will a ferry service be employed? Meanwhile, other parks have been reconstructed, with some projects already completed. na. And, no one is ' At Yuba, where high water eroded away four camp sites, they bank has been reconstructed along with the campgrounds. One of the major areas affected by the flooding was Utah Lake State Park at what most people still call the Provo Boat Harbor. This park recently opened after high flood waters closed it for over a year. The park is now open on a limited basis, with a new boat ramp in place and diking completed around the perimeter of the area. Many of the park roads have been repaved. There is no docking available, although we do have a courtesy dock, says Dennis Weaver, the DPR's central region supervisor. "The harbor is not protected. We warn everyone coming in that there is no sanctuary should a storm roll in. We do have ample parking, but were strictly a boating area. We have no camp or day use facilities available yet." Depending on the fall weather. Weaver hopes to get the day use area landscaped so the park will be back in business by next summer. Ice making equipment at the rink was salvaged, although water damaged some parts of the visitor center. Depending on how fast work can be done, the rink may be open this winter. New docks have been ordered. One of the flooding hazzards which hasn't received a great deal of publicity is that the high water has hidden objects dangerous to boats. At Utah Lake last weekend, for example, a boater barely missed hitting an un s. Park are now solved, its obvious that much work still remains to be done. C-- which show how flooding has made it hard to fully develop this relatively new park. gutted river bed at Fort Buenaventura State Park in Ogden is one of many signs A Photo by Tim Kelly Tribune While many of the problems at Utah Lake State Courtland Nelson of the Division of Parks and Recreation stands on whats left of causeway to Antelope Island. 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