Flooding closes Hillsborough parks, trails

HILLSBOROUGH (WTVD) -- Hillsborough town officials are telling residents to stay away from a popular park and network of trails after heavy rain.

Margaret Hauth, assistant town manager in Hillsborough, confirmed to ABC11 that flooding from the Eno River threatened several parts of the Riverwalk as well as the playground in Gold Park.

Despite some of the water receding, Hauth said the parks and trails will remain closed until crews can clean up the mess.

"Bridges are wood. When they're wet, they're slick," Hauth quipped. "The pavement is wet. When it's got mud on it, it's slick. We don't want anyone falling and hurting themselves."

The storms dumped up to six inches of rain in Hillsborough, according to town officials.

Engineers reported several trees and branches down, but there's more creeping around the area preventing crews from starting their cleanup job.

"That branch may be a snake," Hauth warned. "The snakes have come out and they have a bit of an expanded habitat right now. Until the water goes back and takes (the snakes) with it, it's not the greatest place to be."