The Town of Fountain Hills has had to close the ball fields at Golden Eagle Park after they were inundated by flooding during the storm Tuesday night.

The fields are covered with varying amounts of mud and some debris following the storm that dumped up to two additional inches of rain on the town following two days of rain from Tropical Depression Rosa.

Golden Eagle Park, and in particular its ball fields are designed as a storm detention basin behind Golden Eagle Park Dam that separates the park from the high school property.

This particular storm may have been a record for water behind the dam. Water marks on the chain link fence on the west side of the fields nearest the playground indicated about three feet of water had been held there. On the east side, nearest the dam, the water level topped the six-foot outfield fences.

Town Public Works Director Justin Weldy said he believes there was up to 14 feet at the dam basin.

Parks Supervisor Kevin Snipes said staff decided they would leave the unaffected activity areas open to the public, including the playgrounds, tennis courts and basketball courts. However, he stressed the importance of people staying away from the areas that had been flooded for safety sake. Many people use a walkway around the fields for a daily walk with their dog. That walkway is closed. There are sections of fence down in some areas.

Timing for the cleanup and restoration of the fields is uncertain the day following the flooding. Snipes said they need to wait until the mud dries out before they begin the work. That is uncertain due to more rain in the outlook for this coming weekend. He said it is possible that the fields will be dirt until next spring when the turf comes back to life. The town had no plans to overseed those fields for the winter.