Hogle Zoo monitors Emigration Creek as water nears flood stage
SALT LAKE CITY — Residents and businesses along Emigration Creek are on high alert as the snowpack continues to melt and the National Weather Service issued a flood warning with the creek expected to hit flood stage.
The warning runs through Thursday.
The Hogle Zoo is preparing for potential flooding. Zoological Risk Manager Jeffrey Landry says all eyes have been on this culvert that feeds water under the zoo.
“Emigration Creek runs right through the heart of the zoo,” Landry said. “A little over 1,000 feet long goes underneath the zoo. It flows through the last section of the zoo, Rocky Shores, and then it dumps out on the west side of the zoo.”
The zoo just installed a surveillance camera above the culvert to help keep a constant eye on the rising water.
Similar cameras are being installed across Utah to monitor streams and rivers for flooding.
“A lot of our staff has access 24 hours a day. Our night watch staff, when they are here, can look at their phone and say ‘Okay, the water level is here’,” Landry said.
In mid-April, zoo staff participated in a first-of-its-kind flood drill to practice emergency sandbagging and redirecting water away from exhibits to keep animals safe.
“I’ve been here 25 years, but it is the first flood drill that we’ve actually done in that amount of time, at least if not longer,” Landry said.
They are ready to take these emergency steps at a moment’s notice.
“I know we need the water, and I think everybody is saying this, but we would like it to slow down just a little bit,” Landry said. “We are going to keep an eye on it, stay calm, and then, if we have to react, we will react.”
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