New Panguitch Lake Dam in place after 2024 emergency

PANGUITCH — Nearly two and a half years after cracks in the Panguitch Lake Dam prompted fears of a possible failure and warnings for people downstream to prepare to evacuate, a new dam is now in place.

For Garfield County Commissioner Leland Pollock, getting to this point is something he said took a lot of people and a lot of work.

"It's nothing short of a blessing. I call it a miracle," said Pollock. "A lot of people don't know this was an appropriation from the Legislature. You don't just go and say we need $5.2 million and get it. It's a process. So, it's a blessing for us. We had help from above. I always say that on something like this."

The concerns began in April 2024, when cracks were discovered near the top of the old dam, which was originally built in the 1870s.

Engineers and dam inspectors believed high water levels and pressure from ice on Panguitch Lake caused the upper portion of the dam to crack and begin tilting.

The situation prompted the closure of state Route 143 and warnings for residents of Panguitch and surrounding areas to prepare for a possible evacuation.

"There was a lot of fear and when the engineers told us we could be under 15 feet of water on the west side of the Panguitch Valley, then we really got nervous," said Pollock.

Crews worked quickly to stabilize the structure.

They cut trenches through ice to relieve pressure on the dam, placed rock along the downstream side for support and lowered the reservoir.

A temporary spillway was also cut into the top of the dam to help safely move water through the reservoir.

Pollock said the West Panguitch Irrigation and Reservoir Company, which owns the dam, turned to Garfield County for help.

"They had no way to deal with this massive situation. So, they asked me, would you, with the county, take this? I said, yeah and I didn't know what I was getting into," said Pollock with a laugh.

He said Garfield County initially had to put up money to stabilize the dam and begin addressing the emergency while officials worked to secure state funding.

"We had a lot of help, a lot of people, including the governor, lawmakers that are not in their district, we can't vote for them, but they stepped up and helped us," said Pollock.

State and federal regulators approved the reconstruction project in June 2025, clearing the way for construction to begin later that year.

Pollock said one of the biggest breaks came from the landscape itself.

Instead of trying to rebuild the aging dam in the same location, engineers were able to construct its replacement in a narrow natural canyon near the old structure.

"Who would have ever thought, geographically, just north of the existing dam, there's this little narrow canyon that you can build for a much less cost dam, safely? It's not very wide, but it's a canyon. So, it's deep and it was perfect. It was created for that dam," said Pollock.

The new dam is 24 feet high and constructed primarily of concrete.

The narrow location allowed engineers to build the replacement without needing a structure as long as the original dam.

The project is also important to hundreds of shareholders who depend on water stored in Panguitch Lake.

The West Panguitch Irrigation and Reservoir Company supplies irrigation water to more than 500 shareholders and thousands of acres of agricultural land around Panguitch.

Pollock said asking those farmers and ranchers to shoulder the cost of replacing the dam would have created a significant financial burden.

"West Panguitch, they have been so conservative, and they keep their rates so low, but to add $5.2 million to the few shareholders they have, these ranchers and farmers wouldn't have been able to make it literally," he said. "Everything came together."

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned Friday to officially dedicate the new structure.

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