PANGUITCH, Utah — Two weeks after the Panguitch Lake Dam was at risk of collapsing, the emergency has subsided. However, the big concrete barrier still needs repair.
So who is footing the bill to fix the privately-owned dam?
The structure is owned by the West Panguitch Irrigation and Reservoir Company. According to the minutes of a 2022 board meeting, the company had just $15,000 cash on hand.
Whencracks in the dam were found earlier this month, threatening to flood homes, ranches and the town of Panguitch itself, it was Garfield County that sprang into action.
According to Public Works Director Dave Dodds, the county has so far spent $53,000 in labor and costs to secure the dam, and has been billed another $55,000 for labor and materials.
The Utah Department of Public Safety was also mobilized to close highways and help residents prepare for evacuations, although those costs are currently unknown.
“So far, the county has helped us with the financing. All the bills that we've received to fix the dam has been paid by Garfield County," said Allen Henrie, President of West Panguitch Irrigation and Reservoir Company. "We have been declared a disaster area. There is some funding through the state and federal government that will help us.”
Henrie didn’t know how much money has been spent on dam fixes, and he could only guess that future repairs would cost more than a million dollars.
When asked why should Utah taxpayers should help pay for the repairs of a private dam first built in 1872, Henrie said “our government is there to protect the people, and then our dam is considered a high-level dam because the people who live downstream from it.”
It's not known where the money for Panguitch Lake Dam is coming from, but the infrastructure bill congress passed in 2021 includes billions for water infrastructure, including private dams.
West Panguitch Irrigation and Reservoir Company is holding a meeting Wednesday at Panguitch City offices to discuss ideas for fixing the dam.