Provo city residents and officials are keeping a vigilant eye on the weather after a second mudslide in just one month prompted safety concerns and road closures due to heavy rainfall impacting the Buckley Draw burn scar area. Northbound State Street, which closed temporarily, has reopened, though Nevada Avenue will remain shut until further notice, as reported by ABC4. The recent downpour caused water to cut through the scarred land, affecting major roadways including State Street, Slate Canyon Drive, and Nevada Avenue.
In addition to the roads, heightened attention has been directed towards the Buckley Draw burn scar itself. Since the first fire was reported on August 17, scorching 424 acres, the land has been vulnerable to erosion and instability, a situation exacerbated by a microburst on August 28. This weather event triggered a significant debris flow down the mountainside, KUTV details. With this second instance of flooding, concerns over long-term landscape recovery and community safety are ever more pressing.
Proactive measures are being taken to mitigate future threats and damage. Provo City Public Works Director Gordon Haight mentioned in an interview with FOX13, “This one didn’t carry near the load or near the capacity. So in reality, we’ve got about three years where we’re going to work through this before the burn scar heals up where we are going to have to watch this very closely.” The city has been cooperating with a developer to install two basins and new channels to handle any future debris flows.
