PANGUITCH, Utah — There's another good sign in Garfield County as Panguitch Lake has reopened to fishing just two weeks after a possible dam failure caused evacuation concerns for residents.
On Monday, fishing was once again allowed on the lake, reopening it to the publc, although officials are still asking people to stay away from the area surrounding the dam.
Although a complete dam failure was not found to be likely, cracks were discovered in early April in the expansion portion of the structure. The cracks were deemed to be caused by high water levels and ice pressure.
Evacuation notices were put in place for Paguitch City residents and Highway 143 was closed to traffic. All notices and closures were lifted a few days later after efforts to reduce the water level on the lake were effective.
The Department of Public Safety said that as of Monday, the water level has dropped over 26 inches and about 41 inches from the top of the dam. Water is still leaking, but the agency claims it has decreased "dramatically."
