Big Cottonwood Creek at Cottonwood Lane

Highest listed crest 4.34 ftFlood stage 4.2 ft13 crests since 1983

The Big Cottonwood Creek at Cottonwood Lane crested above flood stage 3 times among the 13 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1983 to 2005. The highest, 4.34 ft on May 29, 2005, was minor flooding, 0.14 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 4.34 ft; May 29, 2005; 770 cubic feet per second
Flood stage: 4.2 ft; Major flooding from 4.9 ft
Crests at major: 0; 3 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest: May 29, 2005; 4.34 ft, minor flooding
Location: Salt Lake County; Near Holladay (0.3 mi), Millcreek (2.3 mi), Cottonwood Heights (3.0 mi)
Identifiers: NWS BIGU1; No USGS station

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Big Cottonwood Creek at Cottonwood Lane

Flood stage (minor)	4.2	3	May 29, 2005	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	4.7	0	—	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	4.9	0	—	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

13 crests from 1983 to 2005. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Big Cottonwood Creek at Cottonwood Lane

1	May 29, 2005	4.34	+0.14	Minor	770
2	Jun 1, 1983	4.30	+0.10	Minor	700
3	May 11, 1984	4.30	+0.10	Minor	700
4	Jun 27, 1997	3.80	−0.40	Below flood stage	593
5	Jun 6, 1995	3.60	−0.60	Below flood stage	516
6	May 17, 1996	3.20	−1.00	Below flood stage	478
7	Jun 4, 1998	3.20	−1.00	Below flood stage	485
8	May 24, 1999	3.10	−1.10	Below flood stage	451
9	May 16, 2001	3.10	−1.10	Below flood stage	458
10	May 29, 2003	3.10	−1.10	Below flood stage	469
11	May 13, 1994	3.00	−1.20	Below flood stage	429
12	May 26, 2000	2.70	−1.50	Below flood stage	366
13	Jun 13, 1991	2.60	−1.60	Below flood stage	343

Gauges on the Big Cottonwood Creek

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Big Cottonwood Creek

Cottonwood Lane this gauge	UT	4.2	4.34 ft, May 29, 2005	0
Salt Lake City	UT	4.2	4.80 ft, Sep 26, 1982	1

Other gauges in Salt Lake County

Flood gauges in Salt Lake County

Salt Lake City	4.2	4.80 ft, Sep 26, 1982	1
Salt Lake City	4.6	5.00 ft, Jun 1, 1983	0
Salt Lake City	2.0	3.07 ft, May 31, 1983	3
Crestwood Park	3.4	4.70 ft, Sep 26, 1982	1
Salt Lake City	4.9	6.60 ft, Sep 26, 1982	1
Mill Creek	2.9	2.94 ft, May 30, 1983	0

Salt Lake County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Utah

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BIGU1, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.