Jumbo log jams threaten road, river bridges along SR-31 Huntington Canyon

By PATSY STODDARD Editor

There are five log jams along Huntington Creek that have the potential to cause damage down stream. One log jam has formed in the creek at the mouth of Mill Fork Canyon. Four others are along the Left Fork of the Huntington Creek. One is approximately one mile up from the campground, another two miles up and two more above that.
Emery County Sheriff Greg Funk hosted a meeting with the forest service, Utah Department of Transportation, water users, Army Corp. of Engineers and other interested parties. Sheriff Funk said, “If we don’t do anything it will come down eventually.”
One suggestion made was to leave the log jams in place because they are still catching logs coming off the mountain. There was discussion of whether the logs could be secured where they are for a natural catch basin. The thought was an anchor or cable could be installed to keep them in place. One concern was these log jams creating a barrier for water and the stream bed will move around them changing the course of the river.
One idea was to construct a road where the trail is and get up there and get the logs out and place them along the stream banks. Another idea was to have the Utah Valley bomb squad, blast the trees and move them downstream where they will be caught in the debris basin already in place. The bomb squad would do a test spot on the log jam at Mill Fork to determine how feasible it would be to try to move the larger jams up Left Fork.
The forest service said the trail up the Left Fork is difficult enough to maintain and as its in a roadless area, it would be difficult to obtain permitting. The group wondered if permitting could be obtained more quickly since it’s an emergency situation left over from the Seeley Fire.
Another danger to leaving the jams in place is high water could move them along and the large pileups could damage bridges along the way down to the debris basin.
Jay Mark Humphrey said the time to work on the log jams is now, when the spring runoffs hit and if it’s a bad winter, it’s too late to do anything and damages would occur downstream.
One worry is the log jams up Left Fork will come down and wipe out SR-31 where the Left Fork crosses under the road and dumps into the Right Fork of Huntington River. In the July storm, there was a serious log jam at that location.
Capt. Kyle Ekker said, “I think we should do something.”
The forest service didn’t think it likely that everything would come down at one time, but logs will gradually break loose from time to time. The logs presently caught in the log jam will not be the last, there are miles and miles of dead trees that will come down and eventually end up in the river.
Darren Olsen from the forest service said he isn’t opposed to trying blasting. He thinks mother nature has created what the engineers are trying to mimic with the debris racks.
Capt. Ekker voiced his concerns with several naturally created unstable dams in the canyon which could break loose at any time without warning. It’s imperative that SR-31 be protected as much as possible from further damage.
Randy Johnson said he understands how the log jams are holding back debris but the main concern is how big they are at this time and steps should be taken to minimize their size.
These large jams have formed just this summer.
The group agreed that doing nothing isn’t the answer. The forest service was asked to contact someone with experience in dealing with log jams.
The power plant representatives stressed their need for as clean of water as possible for operations at the power plant. Humphrey said the water users have a right to clean water as well and if the channel of the river changes it draws sediments into it and washes them downstream causing problems.
If the big log jams in the Left Fork come down then will the road (SR-31) survive? The previous log jam that gathered at the bridge over the river was small in contrast to the log jams in place now.
The question was asked what if we wait and let nature take its course and then fix the road if it’s wiped out? Where does the money come from to fix the road if it washes out?
Jim Chandler the UDOT engineer said the money for SR-31 has been coming out of other projects. The road has been very expensive to maintain since the fire.
One idea mentioned was another debris basin at the Left Fork. The campground area would be affected if this approach is used.
Johnson said anything like that would have to go through a whole new permitting process. Sometimes emergency situations can speed permitting up. If something is constructed there, where would the funds come from for maintenance of the structure?
Possibly the equipment being used at the lower basin could be used at Left Fork.
The group decided to look at the campground and see if it could work. Johnson will also begin looking for funding sources. A trash rack alone was more than $210,000 for the other debris basin.
Capt. Ekker said, “We need to plan for the worst case scenario.”
A permit is not needed from the Army Corp. of Engineers to remove debris from the waterway if it’s done from the bank.
Members of the log jam committee went to the Mill Fork log jam after the meeting to have a look at it. They looked at access points to the spot to determine how to best clean it up. If logs break loose from this location they will be caught at the existing debris basin below the forest service boundary.
The group toured the Left Fork campground on Friday to determine the best spot for some type of debris basin. It was determined the forest service will construct a catch basin with logs beginning in October. They want to have something in place to deal with spring runoff next year. This will be a starting place as more permanent structures are examined. One idea was to have concrete footers with steel beams stretched across the creek above the water to catch logs. This area is accessible by the road in the Left Fork campground and the catch rack would be easy to clean and maintain.
It’s unclear at this time where the money will come from for a more permanent structure. The forest service will be able to complete the work on the log catch rack with funds from their budget according to Seth Wallace, forest service, who has been looking for solutions to the log jam problem.
Access to the hiking trail will need to be maintained.
Howard Tuttle from Johansen and Tuttle Engineering will create a conceptual drawing of the debris rack structure. After this is complete, the emergency management team will begin looking for funding for future construction.
The log jams in place now aren’t impeding much water flow, but debris and sediment and more logs are joining the jams all the time. These large log jams with unstable materials are a big concern, should a large flood event occur. The flood events are reducing each year since the Seeley fire but a large event could break these jams loose.
The Crandall Canyon bridge has received damage from flooding and the footers of the bridge are exposed.