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John Hollenhorst Reporting A huge construction project is moving toward completion in Duchesne County. When it's finished it will provide an important source of water to many, and it will return numerous lakes in the High Uinta mountains to a more natural condition.
They've been pouring dirt. And dumping rock. And manicuring slopes. And none of it is cheap.
Lee Wimmer/ Construction Manager: "Thirty-five million dollars worth of work. It's taken us about three years to do this work."
They're nearly finished enlarging a system of several dams and dikes that store water in Big Sand Wash Reservoir. The overall project will cost 70 million, which will include a pipeline to the town of Roosevelt for economic development.
Randy Crozier/ Duchesne County Water Conservancy District: "Without water there is no economic development."
With the higher embankments the reservoir will be able to rise another 28 feet higher than it is today.
Lee Wimmer: "What we've done is we've come and doubled the capacity. We made it twice as large."
Because the reservoir will store so much more water, it will replace an older storage system upstream. Thirteen lakes in the High Uintas Wilderness are typically filled by nature every spring and nearly drained by water-users every summer.
Lee Wimmer: "One at a time they'll be stabilized to a more natural condition so the lake level won't fluctuate during the year."
The stored water also irrigates 14,000 acres of crops. But it's also available for the Roosevelt area when and if energy development spurs a new burst of growth.
The stabilized lakes in the High Uintas are also expected to provide better habitat for fish. The lakes were not part of a designated wilderness when the control systems were put in place.
