Parts of the Jordan River Trail in Lehi eroding into the river
May 6, 2023, 10:00 AM | Updated: May 7, 2023, 7:45 pm
LEHI, Utah — There’s a certain sense of peace Rich Johnson feels whenever he looks out his front porch.
“It’s a nice place,” he said with a smile. “I didn’t realize this even existed. I hadn’t even heard of Thanksgiving Point when we moved here from Salt Lake City in 2008.
The river, golf course and trail near his home are calming ways to relax after a long day at work. Lately, though, that peace has been replaced with some concern.
“I was standing here, and it had just been raining pretty heavily, and then I heard a rumbling,” he said. “I looked over, and at about that time, all of this just fell into the river.”
He was pointing at pavement from the Jordan River Trail that had crumbled and fell several feet into the Jordan River.
“This is really eroding away badly, and it could be a danger,” he said.
There are parts of the Jordan River Trail falling into the Jordan River near Thanksgiving Point in Lehi because of all the recent water rushing through. The Jordan River Commission is asking people to stay away from the edge. We're doing a story on this for @KSL5TV at 10. #ksltv pic.twitter.com/62d4sGjSWJ
— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) May 6, 2023
This section of trail is right next to his Lehi home.
It seems to get worse when the river is really rushing, but the harsh winter and spring runoff has done a number on the paved trail as well. It’s something the Jordan River Commission is aware of.
“A lot of it is ground water. The ground is absorbing a lot of the moisture that’s coming. That can create unstable conditions,” said Soren Simonsen, executive director of the Jordan River Commission.
Simonsen said his group is working with local governments to fix those spots, but those cities and counties have other flooding concerns for now with more spring runoff expected.
“There is funding available, and right now, there are prioritizations. The biggest risk is where water is still coming down the canyons,” Simonsen said. “We are just asking people to be alert and be careful when they are in this part of the Jordan River Trail.”
Orange barrels were placed in the danger zone, but they have all fallen off the edge of the pavement due to wind and more erosion.
For Johnson, he is also warning as many people as he can, hoping things return to being peaceful again soon.
“I think they need to put in a lot of heavy boulders to build this up and then put in fill,” Johnson said. “There is some work to be done.”
