The president of the company that owns the Panguitch Lake Dam said ice caused cracking in the dam, damage that was discovered on Monday. Officials added that ice pressure and high water levels caused a section of the dam to crack and tilt.
[Read more: Panguitch Lake Dam could fail, area officials warn]
The Panguitch Lake Dam is owned and operated by the West Panguitch Irrigation Company, an agriculture irrigation company that provides water for farmers and ranchers to grow their crops and tend their livestock, but also for Panguitch City.
The dam was built in 1872 and last modified in 1942, according to Utah’s dam safety database. Allen Henrie, president of the West Panguitch Irrigation Company, said that the 1942 modification added two feet to the existing dam. The current crack, Henrie said, is where that two-foot cap meets the rest of the dam.
“Ice got under that cap and lifted it a little bit, and that’s where it’s leaking,” he told The Salt Lake Tribune.
Everett Taylor, an assistant state engineer for dam safety at the Utah Division of Water Rights, said that the crack is three to five feet below the top of the dam, but given the water running through the dam, they can’t locate it exactly.
The Panguitch Lake Dam was last inspected in May 2023; another inspection was scheduled for July.
The dam is considered “high hazard,” according to the Utah Division of Water Rights, meaning if it were to fail, people could die. Such dams are inspected once a year, and dam owners are responsible for fixing any identified safety or maintenance issues. Last year, the division reported there were more than 200 high-hazard dams in the state and just over 100 needed upgrades to meet minimum safety standards. Last year, the division reported there were more than 200 high-hazard dams in the state and just over 100 needed upgrades to meet minimum safety standards.
[Read more: A Utah dam is cracking, causing scenic byway closures]
Local officials said they discovered cracks in the upper portion of Panguitch Lake Dam on Monday, when the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office said that the damage was “not severe enough to warrant immediate evacuations.”
On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office announced that there was potential for dam failure and that residents should prepare for possible evacuation. The National Weather Service also issued a flash flood warning along Panguitch Creek on Tuesday night.
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