The Santa Clara River, which circles Gunlock, was nearing flood stage Tuesday as rain continued to fall, dumping debris and red mud topsoil from the surrounding river watershed into the Gunlock Reservoir.
Water is spilling over both the Gunlock Reservoir and the Shem Dam, which acts as a small catch pool on the Shivwit Indian Reservation."This is the first time in more than four years that Gunlock Reservoir has gone over the natural rock spillway and into the river below," said Jay Leavitt, a Gunlock resident who assists the Utah water commissioner for the Santa Clara drainage area.
A full reservoir holds approximately 11,000 acre-feet of water, Leavitt said. It normally goes over the spillway before it begins to back up into Gunlock. He cautioned motorists not to use a dirt road that crosses the river below Gunlock and leads to the Jackson Peak area. The river flow has already overturned one pickup truck, washing it downstream. The occupants managed to get out of the truck safely.