This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
WASHINGTON - Utah's Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Rob Bishop have reintroduced a bill to that would allow the Bureau of Reclamation to study expanding the Willard Bay Reservoir by raising the height of the dam. The reservoir serves about 500,000 people along the Wasatch Front. The legislation would authorize $1 million to investigate whether the Arthur V. Watkins Dam can be expanded to hold another 35,000 acre-feet of water for a total of 250,000 acre-feet of water. "Raising the dam a few feet may seem like a small thing now, but it could reap huge rewards down the road in getting us the water we need," Bishop said in a statement. "Whether it's for drinking, irrigating, or recreating, the water has to keep flowing, and this bill helps ensure that." The bill passed the House last year but never got a Senate vote.
- Thomas Burr
