GARFIELD COUNTY, Utah — Taking a look at the map included in Garfield County's emergency plan surrounding the current situation at Panguitch Lake Dam, and you can see how a catastrophic breach would send a rush of water downhill 15 miles away to the town of Panguitch with a population of 1,700.
As of Wednesday, it’s estimated that Panguitch Lake holds approximately 20,000 acre feet of water, less than one-tenth the amount that was in Idaho's Teton Dam that failed in 1976, killing 11 people.
However, documents obtained by FOX 13 News shows how a Panguitch Lake Dam failure would pose risks to ranches, campgrounds and highways. In less than two hours after a breach, flood waters would reach the town of Panguitch.
The dam, first constructed in 1872, has undergone upgrades and repairs over the last century-and-a-half, including in 2011 when a dive team was sent into the lake to repair a failed gate.
An inspection just last year judged the dam to be in satisfactory condition.
An associate professor of civil engineering at Utah State University says he has not studied the Panguitch Lake barrier, but said wet winters and springs do put extra strain on dams.
“The incident or the crack could have formed a few years ago, and it's only now that with the water against it, that it's showing up," explained John Rice.
Because Panguitch Lake and Panguitch Creek are popular fishing destinations, Rice added that a huge flood would erode out the channel, eliminating wildlife habitat.
“Of course, you'd lose the reservoir, which has become habitat,” he said.
With the dam being privately owned, belonging to the West Panguitch Irrigation Company, a failure could mean nearby families would lose the irrigation water to which they currently have rights.
