If things continue like this, it will take Utah about 117 years to repair all the dams in the state that need rehabilitation. And that’s probably a conservative estimate.
There are currently 227 “high-risk” dams in the state, meaning failure would cause serious damage and loss of life. Of those, 107 need rehabilitation under the state’s criteria, which includes checking the dam’s spillway and outlet, whether there is seepage, how stable the slope is and whether it can withstand earthquakes.
The Utah Division of Water Resources, which is responsible for financing dam expansion, has provided the money and commissioned repairs to six of the 107 dams at risk.
This means that 101 dams still need repairs. The department currently receives about $3.8 million annually from the legislature for repairs.
“When we look at the 101 dams that need to be upgraded and the ongoing cost of $3.8 million, we estimate it will take 117 years to address all of the dams on the list,” Candice Hasenyager, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, told lawmakers Tuesday during a meeting of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environmental Quality.
Hasenyager cautioned that the estimate comes with a caveat. Over the next 117 years, some of the state’s dams that currently meet Utah’s minimum safety standards will deteriorate. And there will likely be what she calls “hazard creep”: communities encroaching on the dams, making them high-risk dams by the state’s standards.
“This is another question and concern as our population increases,” Hasenyager said.
The presentation came immediately after two incidents in which high-risk dams showed their age.
In April, Panguitch Lake Dam began showing signs of leaking. Later, cracks formed at the top, likely due to ice pushing against the concrete. Panguitch’s roughly 1,700 residents were told to prepare to evacuate, but workers were able to break up the ice and stabilize the dam. It was operational during the spring melt, but there is currently a storage restriction on the reservoir to reduce stress on the dam.
Replacing the dam or at least making the necessary major repairs could cost about $5 million, said Senator Don Ipson (R-St. George), stressing to lawmakers during the session that funding should be a priority.
The department is also monitoring the dam at Kolob Reservoir, where water began seeping through damaged concrete in the spillway earlier this year. The reservoir’s water level has been lowered and the Washington County Water Conservancy District operated the dam during the rainy season. But they are considering major repairs, including replacing the spillway.
According to the department, the average cost to upgrade a dam is about $4.4 million. To rehabilitate these 101 dams, the department needs $444 million. But even this estimate comes with a caveat: Because inflation affects the price of construction materials, these costs “will likely increase in the future,” said Hasenyager.
For most of the 2000s, the state allocated about $4.3 million annually for dam repairs. After 2008, that amount dropped slightly to $3.8 million.
This does not include one-time funding measures: In 2015, the legislature provided $11 million, in 2017 $8.4 million, in 2022 $18 million and in 2024 $25 million.
Still, the department is looking elsewhere for immediate funding. Hasenyager said it recently received a $7.2 million grant from FEMA, and the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) will cover up to 65 percent of repairs to the dams it operates.
