State approves Panguitch Lake Dam reconstruction

SALT LAKE CITY – After the state’s approval, reconstruction on the Panguitch Lake Dam is moving forward.

The construction follows an emergency assessment of the dam back in April 2024, when crews noticed cracking from ice pressure, forcing the closure of state Route 143.

The West Panguitch Irrigation Co., which owns the dam, selected a contractor after a joint state-federal permit was issued back in June.

The State Engineer first approved the project on June 19. This followed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ announcement that the new dam design met the environmental standards outlined in the Programmatic General Permit-10 (PGP-10).

“We owe a tremendous thank you to the Utah Legislature for funding this project and to our partner agency, the Utah Division of Water Resources, for their collaboration,” wrote Utah State Engineer Teresa Wilhelmsen in a press release. “By working together, efforts to rebuild moved quickly and are underway.”

Dams are closely monitored

Utah Division of Water Rights Assistant State Engineer Matt Call, who oversees dam safety and stream operations, said the agency is always addressing dam needs.

“There’s always a possibility that a dam could develop a problem and something could happen,” Call explained. “It’s really unpredictable.”

Call said there are 100 dams they are closely monitoring, waiting for grants to help fund repairs. He says they inspect high-hazard dams — dams that, if they broke, could lead to someone dying — every year and perform any repairs for them immediately.

Call said the Panguitch Lake Dam wasn’t initially on their priority list since it met all state requirements.

Panguitch City and Garfield County officials are excited for the project to get done.

The project, estimated to cost $3.7 million, is expected to begin construction in late summer or early fall 2025.

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