The Kanosh Town Council held a special emergency meeting to address the impacts of a recent fire and prepare for potential flooding. During the meeting, Mayor Wenda Crabb reported that approximately 200 head of cattle are confirmed lost, with an additional 1,650 head currently unaccounted for.
Fire Chief Lorin Shumway stated that while firefighters saved an estimated 50 to 100 acres surrounding the Town Springs, the entire watershed has burned. This creates a significant flood risk, as the Corn Creek drainage is the second largest in the state and even small rainfall could produce unprecedented runoff.
Hayden George of the Corn Creek Irrigation board presented recommendations for upstream mitigation, including clearing burned trees from the stream channel and constructing boulder check dams to slow water velocity. He identified the Town Springs as a vulnerable infrastructure element and suggested reinforcing the north bank to protect higher-producing springs.
The council discussed the town's water readiness, noting that Tushar Contracting was working on electrical and chlorinator installation at the town well. The well is expected to be operational and ready to deliver water to tanks by Monday.
Regarding flood preparation, Fire Chief Shumway reported that the town has approximately 8,000 sandbags on hand, with access to 10,000 more. Brad Freeman volunteered to coordinate sandbagging efforts.
Mayor Crabb announced that she had independently declared a state of emergency for the Town of Kanosh to facilitate potential funding from FEMA or other agencies. This declaration was expected to be brought before the Council for ratification at the next regular meeting.
