- Pineview Reservoir will be drawn down to 1.7% capacity by mid-September.
- Business owners express concerns about the impact on recreation and bookings.
- Construction on Ogden's pipeline affecting 120,000 customers will last into Jan.
HUNTSVILLE, Weber County — This fall, Pineview Reservoir will be drawn down to levels not seen since the 1970s. While the significant drop won't happen for another couple of months, word of the change is already creating concerns for some business owners on the lake.
"There's definitely people calling, concerned about booking stuff, making plans," said Casey Pratt, co-owner of Club Rec. "We've had a great summer so far. It's been nice. There's plenty of water to go out and have a good time."
The levels, however, are coming down relatively fast. Scott Paxman, general manager and CEO of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, told KSL that it is currently holding water for storage up above in Echo Reservoir, as irrigation and water users in Ogden continue to drain it. Toward the end of the season, it plans to send water into Willard Bay.
Pratt said his business faced similar challenges a year ago at its Willard Bay location, when the reservoir was partially drained for a repair to the dike system. While Pratt said Willard remains low right now, he added that his business is still up and running there.
While there wasn't anywhere near peak activity at Pineview on Tuesday, there were a number of boats in the water.
"We're trying to get out here as much as we can," Sarah Redd said, heading out on the water with friends and family. "It's disappointing for sure. This is only our second year with our boat, and so there's not as many options to go boating."
Pratt added that while business is good now, he is concerned about what may happen in late August.
"This year it'll probably get cut short," he said. "We'll probably run out of boat ramp at some point, but we'll keep going as long as we can."
Paxman said that Pineview will need to be drawn down to about 1.7% capacity by mid-September — about 2,000 square acre-feet. He said only the neck area below the dam will hold water at that time. Construction on Ogden's 36-inch pipeline that serves around 120,000 customers is expected to last into early January.
