In more than six decades of living in Preston, Mayor Dan Keller said he’s never seen so much water collecting in low-lying areas and flowing down city streets.

“I’ve never seen runoff occur for nearly a half-mile down State Street,” Keller said during a Preston City Council meeting on Thursday — a meeting he convened in order to declare a state of emergency in Preston as flooding has already become a problem in town, even before the spring runoff season gets into full swing.

“The storm drains, the culverts, the pumps, the sandbags and other temporary reclamation in many areas are much too inadequate to remedy this situation,” he said. “Not only homes and business are being threatened, but the city’s infrastructure is vulnerable if this aggressive runoff does not subside.”

The council unanimously approved the mayor’s declaration, which Keller said will help mitigate not just current flooding problems, but anticipated issues in the coming weeks as the area’s record-high snowpack continues to melt.

“This declaration will benefit Preston by providing increased liability protections, the ability to purchase needed supplies without competitive bid, and to expedite work within applicable government agencies in the furnishing of aid and assistance as needed,” he said.

It also allows officials to tap into city funds without having to go through the formal process of amending the budget, and could help qualify the city for up to $1.5 million in federal grant money to improve its infrastructure for future flood events, City Attorney Lyle Fuller said.

Preston had already broken an all-time record for snowfall this year by April 1, and two more storms since then have only added to the historic snowpack. While the water will provide welcome relief later in the year for local farmers and others who have endured years of severe drought, it is causing some major headaches in the short term.

The National Weather Service has a flood advisory in place for Franklin County.

“We estimate that over one-third of (Preston) is being directly threatened by uncontrollable flooding,” Keller said. “It’s probably a lot more.”

The emergency declaration has no set expiration date. Fuller said leaving it in place indefinitely will provide the flexibility needed to deal with the flooding when the severity of the situation is not yet known, and Councilmember Chris Larsen agreed.

“We don’t quite know what the damage looks like right now anyway until the water subsides,” Larsen said.

The city is coordinating with other government officials including Franklin County commissioners, state legislators who represent the county, Gov. Brad Little and U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and James Risch. The county commission decided Monday to follow Preston’s lead and declare a countywide emergency because of the flooding.

“Our appropriate authorities have been informed, and they understand this is really a significant issue,” Keller said.

The city and county declarations don’t require any specific action by local residents, other than to comply with authorities in case of extreme measures such as evacuation orders.

Councilmember Terry Larson implored residents to stay away from overflowing drainage ditches and other areas that are likely to pose significant safety hazards in the coming weeks.

“We can see upwards of 2,500 gallons per second coming out of some of these culverts, let alone compromised roads and the structures underneath those,” Larson said. “As much as water interests and intrigues people, we just need to ask that people stay away from these heavy drainages at this time.”

Councilmember Todd Thomas echoed those sentiments, urging residents not to take matters into their own hands when they see problems.

“Let us know so that our public works guys can be made aware of it and address it,” Thomas said. “Please don’t put yourself at risk trying to do it on your own with your own equipment.”

STATE HIGHWAY SHUT DOWN

The main road linking Franklin and Bear Lake counties was shut down until Thursday morning after a mudslide forced the closure of the route on Tuesday evening.

The eastern portion of State Highway 36, which starts at Riverdale on the Franklin side, heads northeast over Emigration Pass and ends at Ovid on the Bear Lake side, was closed for over 24 hours.

While the road was closed, travelers from Preston to Montpelier were advised to detour around the north end of the Bear River Range via State Highway 34 and U.S. Highway 30 through Soda Springs.

Idaho Transportation Department crews cleared snow and debris from ditches and culverts to allow spring runoff waters to move away from Highway 36 so it could be reopened.

Rapidly warming temperatures last week destabilized a snowpack that is approximately double what the area would receive in a normal year. Fast-melting snow is also saturating the ground underneath, causing large portions of earthen material to slough off in steep terrain.

The rapid change in weather resulted in two more slides in the area following the initial slide that caused Highway 36’s closure at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

There have been no reports of injuries or stranded motorists, but the slides and flooding have caused some property damage in the Mink Creek area near Preston.

More slides are possible as temperatures warm.

As of Wednesday, the USDA’s SNOTEL site at the 7,390-foot summit of Emigration Canyon measured a snow-water equivalent of 39.6 inches, or 198% of normal for this time of year. Snow depth at the site peaked at 121 inches (11 feet) on April 5.

With weeks still to go until spring runoff peaks, ITD is warning drivers of “a significant chance” of flooding throughout Franklin, Caribou and Bear Lake counties and is urging motorists to avoid trying to drive through spots where road surfaces are under water.

To get the latest updates on road conditions and closures, check 511.idaho.gov or download the 511 app.