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Flooding impacts Charleston, Strawberry Reservoir

The road to Strawberry Reservoir Visitor's Center was flooded on Monday, May 15, 2023. Brenda Bushnell, a spokesperson for the Heber-Kamas District of the U.S. Forest Service, said the waters were receded as of Wednesday, May 17. The risk for further flooding is far from over, however. “Our-mid level snow is really starting to melt, but the upper snow has still to come off. So we're still going to be dealing with it for a little while,” Bushnell said.
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The road to Strawberry Reservoir Visitor's Center was flooded on Monday, May 15, 2023.

Recent snowmelt and rain have caused flooding at both Daniel’s Creek and Strawberry River, and both areas are bracing for more.

Daniel’s Creek, which runs through Charleston, has already flooded both Monday and Tuesday nights, according to Mayor Brenda Christensen. She said at least one home has been impacted so far, though not significantly.

“We're very lucky that we had the team we had here to divert that and get that away and get it going somewhere else,” she said.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Daniel’s Creek through Friday morning. A particular area of concern is where State Route 113 crosses the creek.

Wednesday afternoon, Christensen said the creek is currently under control, but only about two or three inches away from flooding again.

“We're watching it every hour. Were down there watching it throughout the day and the night,” she said.

She met with officials from several Wasatch County and state agencies Tuesday to put a plan in place if flooding happens again.

“We will close down the road on 113, and divert that water across the road into the other side of the road where the lake is,” Christensen said.  

Volunteers will sandbag Wednesday afternoon to protect the city center. Christensen also encourages Charleston residents to get sandbags for their homes. Those are available at the Wasatch County Public Works facility every weekday until 3 P.M.

Meanwhile, a flood warning is in effect for the area where the Strawberry River enters Strawberry Reservoir.

Brenda Bushnell, a spokesperson for is a spokesperson for the Heber-Kamas Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service, said water was going over the road to the marina on Sunday night and into Monday morning.

“Then when temperatures changed, it did recede quite a bit and was not going over the road,” she said.

Bushnell said the marina is currently accessible. But visitors to Strawberry Reservoir should still exercise caution when they see water on the road, and when they visit the area.

“Watch little kids, watch pets. Water's running very high and very fast. Things can change in a blink of an eye. So just really take safety to the next level,” she said.

And the time to be careful won’t be over anytime soon.

“Our-mid level snow is really starting to melt, but the upper snow has still to come off. So we're still going to be dealing with it for a little while,” Bushnell said.

The flood warning is in effect through Thursday evening.