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Story Published: Jan 2, 2009 at 10:58 PM MST

Story Updated: Jan 2, 2009 at 10:58 PM MST

By Anthony Congi

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FREMONT COUNTY - Even though it's not too uncommon to have flooding this time of year, the Fremont County Sheriff's Office isn't taking the situation lightly.

"They've been able to back the head gates of the canal down and close that water off so it should be receding nicely but the road is barricaded and is available for local traffic only," says Fremont County Sheriff, Ralf Davis.

When the ground is frozen and there's a heat wave, the water has nowhere else go.

Streams and rivers are also clogged with ice.

Areas like the Arcadia Canal near Ashton overflowed it's banks and now is flooded with more than 3 feet of water.

This particular area is fairly remote so not too many people are affected. But it still has plenty of traffic.

When I first tried to make my way to the flooding I wasn't able to because of the high water. Luckily a few snowmobilers came by and took me to the area. And as you can see, there's plenty of water clogging the roads.

"It's important to remember that whenever you encounter water running over a roadway you should not go through it unless you absolutely know the depth of the water. It doesn't take much water to float a car," says Davis.

If the temperatures stay warm, there will be more snow runoff and the area could become a major problem.

"Be so cautious. It's so much different for water this time of year then it is other times of the year. You've got the underlying ice layers under that water. You can't walk through it, you can't drive through it. It just creates a real hazardous situation. And the best thing is, if you don't have to go through there, stay away," advises Davis.

Canal and road crews are currently working to get that road open but a large part of fixing the problem will depend on the weather.

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