As of Thursday morning, the likelihood of the Panguitch Lake Dam breaking is “almost zero,” officials said.
“As the risk of the dam breaching is reduced, the need for evacuation is also reduced,” said Wade Mathews, a public information officer for the Utah Department of Public Safety. “However, we are still asking people to be on alert and be ready, should the circumstances of the situation change.”
Until the dam is fixed, Mathews said, the situation will continue to be considered a Level 2 Emergency, which means there is potential for the dam to fail. The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office first declared a Level 2 Emergency on Tuesday night.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Workers move earth to secure the rim of the Panguitch Lake Dam, on Thursday, April 11, 2024.
Residents of Panguitch and surrounding areas can find information about evacuation plans at this link. Panguitch City has made sandbags available at the Stake Center at 550 South 100 West.
[Read more: Map: Utah’s ‘high hazard’ dams | What we know about the Panguitch Lake Dam crack]
The owner of Panguitch Lake Dam, West Panguitch Irrigation Company, discovered cracking in the dam on Monday evening. Officials said Wednesday that high water levels and pressure from the ice sheet on top of Panguitch Lake caused the top portion of the dam to crack and tilt.
Dam safety experts with the Utah Division of Water Rights have been working with the owner to address the damage. On Wednesday, Everett Taylor, an assistant state engineer for dam safety at DWR, said that lowering Panguitch Lake’s water level to below the damage was the agency’s priority.
Mathews said Thursday morning that engineers are releasing water from the lower levels of the dam at a rate of 250 cubic feet per second. Panguitch Lake is five inches lower than it was yesterday. It could take 8 to 10 days to get the water level below the damage.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Workers move earth to secure the rim of the Panguitch Lake Dam, on Thursday, April 11, 2024.
Officials reported that the top of the dam had tilted 8 inches on Tuesday night. On Thursday, due to supports placed on the downstream side of the dam, the tilt was reduced to about 1.5 inches.
State Route 143, which connects Panguitch and Parowan, will still be closed below the dam. Mathews said that officials would reassess the road closure tomorrow morning. The highway is open above Panguitch Lake.
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