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Logan residents fill sandbags as river level rises

Posted at 9:31 PM, May 12, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-12 23:31:23-04

CACHE COUNTY, Utah -- Logan City workers and residents spent Friday evening filling sandbags in preparation for the flood watch overnight.

Some areas in Logan Canyon already saw flooding on Friday, as the river ran high and fast.

Neighbors lent a hand to fill hundreds of sandbags that public works crews planned to stack along the river banks in Logan.

Tiffany Pintor stood over the group with a piece of paper, marking off and counting every sandbag.

"They said, 'Would you like to be the bean counter?' And I said, 'OK!'" she said, of volunteering.

Pintor said she lives a block from the river, but wanted to help her neighbors out.

Logan City Emergency Manager Brady Hansen said there were a few spots along the river they are concerned about.

"This is one of the areas we anticipate--maybe just up here--that the Logan River could come out of its banks," Hansen said, pointing to a grassy park area in between two homes.

He said no homes are currently threatened, but that could change.

Hansen said the waters were expected to start rising around 10 p.m. on Friday, and continue into the night.

"We know we've got to get ready," Hansen said.

Up the way in Logan Canyon, the Guinavah-Malibu Campground opened Friday for the season.

But, the season started soggy, as many campsites sat submerged under water.

"We're keeping some of the sites closed because obviously there's some danger with the high water," said David Ashby, Recreation Manager for the U.S. Forest Service's Logan Ranger District.

Campground hosts used caution tape to block the sites. Just beyond that tape, the river waters flowed past picnic tables.

"We're keeping folks away from them, and having them camp up closer to the highway and away from the high water," Ashby said.

He said the Forest Service will continue to monitor the river, and close more sites if they need to.

As they let Mother Nature take her course, the Forest Service, city and volunteers are doing what they can to keep the river in check, and keep people safe.