Flooding struck Emery County beginning 29 August 2026: on 1 September the Emery County Commission declared a state of emergency for flooding 'beginning on August 29, 2026' from severe thunderstorms and excessive rainfall (minutes), and ETV reported the commission later sought federal watershed help (21 Sept). Orangeville's council held an emergency working meeting on 31 August 2026 on the response, recording sandbagging, damage to the ballfield and a question about how many families in apartments were displaced (minutes); at the 1 September county meeting the sheriff thanked volunteers who helped with 'the flooding event in Orangeville', noting many properties had water damage (minutes). No record read mentions the Valar site. DOE's categorical exclusion says the site is outside FEMA-mapped flood hazard areas and about 100 feet above Cottonwood Creek, which it says eliminates flood risk and any hydraulic connection to the creek (safe-021). Whether roads to the site or emergency services were affected during the flood is not in any record read.

• Orangeville City Council, August 31 emergency working meeting minutes (Orangeville City, 2026-08-31) primary government
• Emery County Commission Meeting Minutes, September 1, 2026 (CM09012026) (Emery County Commission, 2026-09-01) primary government “the flooding event in Orangeville”
• NEPA Determination DOE-ID-26-005: Valar Ward250 Research Reactor (categorical exclusion B5.26) (U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, 2026-04-22) primary government “Elevated site position eliminates flood risk.”
• Emery County delays solar decision, pauses new conditional use permits (ETV News, 2026-09-21) news