Flooding likely killed thousands of fish at southern Utah reservoir, wildlife officials say

MINERSVILLE, Beaver County — Flash flooding from the Cottonwood Fire burn scar has affected approximately 200 homes in the Beaver area, while also creating all sorts of infrastructure damage, including significant damage to state Route 153.

It also killed thousands of fish downstream at Minersville Reservoir.

Troy Adams, a Utah fishing enthusiast and influencer, posted a video showing several fish dead along the reservoir's shore on Tuesday, writing that the "smell of death will linger for days."

"These fish are dead everywhere. It's not just isolated to one pocket; this is (a) catastrophic-level fish dieoff," he said.

State wildlife biologists confirmed the fish kill after residents reported seeing large numbers of fish along or near the reservoir's shoreline west of Beaver. Flooding from the burn scar carried ash, sediment and debris into the reservoir, which hurt the reservoir's water quality and likely killed the fish, said Faith Heaton Jolley, a spokeswoman for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

Biologists estimated that about 2,000 trout were killed, while lesser impacts were noticed to the reservoir's wiper and other warmwater fish species. Seasonal warm water temperatures and low reservoir levels likely contributed to the deaths, she added.

Minersville Reservoir is currently 22% full, according to the Utah Division of Water Resources. It remains open for fishing despite the impacts. Anglers should monitor the conditions because there is still a threat of more flooding, Jolley said.

"We will continue to monitor the reservoir and adjust management of the fishery, as needed," she added.