By Iron County Today Staff, For Iron County Today
Heavy rain falling over the Cottonwood Fire burn scar triggered a dangerous flash flood and debris flow Sunday afternoon, sending water, mud, rocks and burned trees through Beaver Canyon and into Beaver City, forcing evacuations, contaminating the city’s water system and shutting down Interstate 15.
The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Emergency shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday for the Grove neighborhood on the east side of Beaver and the North Creek area after between one-half inch and 1.5 inches of rain fell over the burn scar left by the Cottonwood Fire. Officials warned residents to move immediately to higher ground as multiple debris flow waves moved downstream.
According to the National Weather Service, the debris flow overtopped the diversion dam in Beaver Canyon before moving down Highway 153 and into the Beaver River channel. Officials warned the flows would continue arriving in pulses as additional runoff traveled downstream.
Beaver County Emergency Management elevated residents living within one-quarter mile of the Beaver River to “GO” status under the Ready, Set, Go evacuation system. By Sunday evening, the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office announced that no one, including residents, would be allowed into the Grove neighborhood while emergency crews responded to the flooding. The American Red Cross opened an emergency shelter at Beaver High School, including the Karl Truman Gym, for displaced residents.
The flooding also had a major impact on transportation throughout the area. Floodwaters and debris breached Interstate 15 near milepost 109, forcing officials to close the freeway in both directions. Heavy equipment was brought in to remove mud and debris from the roadway while southbound traffic was rerouted through Beaver. State Route 20 served as the primary alternate route for motorists. As of Monday, officials continued working to reopen the interstate, and the National Weather Service warned that flooding remained ongoing in Beaver City with water expected to continue moving downstream toward Minersville Reservoir.
City officials also issued a “Do Not Drink” advisory for Beaver’s culinary water system because of contamination caused by the flooding. Residents were instructed not to use tap water for drinking, brushing teeth, making ice or preparing food until further notice. Water service was also interrupted in portions of the Grove neighborhood east of Canyon Ballfield.
The flooding comes just days after Beaver County announced the installation of a new early warning monitoring system featuring live cameras in Beaver Canyon to track stream flows. The system, developed with assistance from Gov. Spencer Cox’s Emergency Management team, was intended to provide advance warning of potential debris flows following the Cottonwood Fire. During Sunday’s emergency, however, both publicly accessible camera feeds went offline as the flooding unfolded.
Officials have repeatedly warned that landscapes burned by wildfire are especially vulnerable to flash flooding because vegetation that normally absorbs rainfall has been removed, allowing water, mud and debris to rapidly funnel into streams and canyons.
As of Monday afternoon, a Flood Warning remained in effect for Beaver County as emergency crews continued damage assessments, road clearing and recovery efforts. The National Weather Service cautioned that flooding and debris flows could continue while runoff worked its way through the Beaver River drainage.