Lehi officials warn residents to stay away from high water this Memorial Day

LEHI, Utah — Officials in northern Utah are warning people to stay out of creeks, streams, and rivers this Memorial Day weekend. In Lehi, city leaders closed Dry Creek Park as a safety precaution.

“It could be closed for another week or two,” said Lehi City communications manager Jeanteil Livingston. “The water really has been fluctuating this week.”

At some points in the last few days, several inches of high water collected in the park’s frisbee course. It doubles as a detention basin.

“That can change with weather, due to debris,” Livingston explained. “We have crews constantly cleaning debris out of our reservoir. When we’re cleaning out that debris, we bring down our gates, and when those gates reopen, that water can come without notice.”

She said to keep children and pets behind the yellow caution tape and stay out of the trees along the banks.

“As tempting as it is to put a toe in the creek, we ask our residents to stay away from the water right now,” Livingston said. “We do have other activities. We have the Ivory Ridge Splash Park opening up, and we have the outdoor pool in Lehi City that just opened up this weekend.”

Dry Creek in Lehi is anything but dry.
It’s flowing fast and high. No flooding yet in the city, but there’s been incidents of people getting in the water when it’s not safe.
This holiday weekend, officials ask people to find water activities somewhere else @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/sCU5wEHtXT

— Shelby Lofton (@newswithShelby) May 28, 2023

She said she knows families are used to heading to Dry Creek Park during the summer, but it’s currently too dangerous for those outdoor activities there.

“No dangling in the trees, no hammocks in the trees, just stay away,” she said.

Earlier this month, a dog jumped into the creek and was swept downriver. The city’s storm drain supervisor rescued her.

“He saw the snout of the dog sticking out of the water from the side of the bank and then was able to pull the dog out. That could’ve been a child, and it could happen at a moment’s notice,” Livingston said.

Down the road, high water pools in front of a school, another trouble spot for the city.

“This week, we had some teenagers, they thought it’d be a good idea to take advantage of the water in front of Lehi Elementary School and skimboard in the front,” she said.

No one was hurt in that situation, but Livingston said their goal is to keep it that way. She said police are patrolling areas to make sure residents are abiding by the signs and warnings.