Eyes have been looking at water in Cache Valley for decades, trying to decide how they can put it to better use. As with all development, there are good and bad results. Let’s explore where the good and bad are with these developments.

Bear River Development Act, Utah Division of Water Resources (UDWRe), https://water.utah.gov/bear-river-dev/

Bear River Development Act:
In 1991, the Bear River Development Act was passed by the Utah Legislature
https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title73/Chapter26/C73-26_1800010118000101.pdf

Bear River Watershed Information System, https://bearriverinfo.org/index

Northern Utah Water Development in the Press:

Boam, Rod, DWR eyes six sites along the Bear River for future dams, Cache Valley Daily, December 11, 2019, https://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/archive/2019/12/11/dwr-eyes-six-sites-along-the-bear-river-for-future-dams/#.YnP4S-jMJaQ

Implementing Inexpensive Alternatives to Bear River Water Development, Utah Rivers Council, September 2019, https://utahrivers.org/s/2019-_-4th-Ed-Alt-Report.pdf

Lingenfelter, Isobel, Exploring Alternatives to Developing the Bear River, Urban Water Atlas, May 12, 2019, https://www.urbanwateratlas.com/2019/05/12/exploring-alternatives-to-developing-the-bear-river/

Nielsen, Shannon, Utah Division of Water Resources gives presentation on proposed reservoir sites, The Herald Journal, Apr 22, 2015, https://www.hjnews.com/allaccess/utah-division-of-water-resources-gives-presentation-on-proposed-reservoir-sites/article_33849ff0-e951-11e4-b5bd-3b87379cbd4d.html

Proposed Dam Sites
(A Work-in-Progress and in no order)

Temple Fork:

May 3rd 2022, David Rosenberg asked us to meet at the proposed side and explore dam placement above Logan in the Temple Fork area of Logan Canyon.

Potential Temple Fork Dam
Meet at Temple Fork Trailhead (about 15 miles up Logan Canyon).
Tuesday, May 3, 2022
2 p.m.

Updated flier attached and is also posted at this link (Google Drive).
Details attached, including link to background information:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UaCxmoH77e1Ds_CoREi6AuPiDSsm6eNVPFcgub5m-8A/edit

Please encourage others to join. And please reach out if you have questions:

David Rosenberg
Professor
Dept. of Civil & Env. Engineering and Utah Water Research Laboratory
Utah State University
david.rosenberg@usu.edu | @WaterModeler | 435.797.8689
Web: http://rosenberg.usu.edu
Blog: https://utahandwesternwater.wordpress.com/

Background Readings

1. Bear River Development Act (1991; 7 pages). Notes:
1. Utah Legislative authorization
2. Sites have changed since 1991.
2. Bear River Development Report (UDWRe, 2019).
1. Description of Temple Fork dam (Volume I, pp. 7-17 to 7-21)
2. Temple Fork site plans and figures (Volume II, pp. pp. 61-67)
3. Utah’s Water Dilemma (Circle of Blue, 2021)
4. (cancelled) Apr 12, 2022 Flier with map, presenters, directions, etc.

UDWRe Comments by Robert Oaks, Utah Licensed Professional Geologist, Professor Emeritus, Geosciences Department, USU:
https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Oaks.Robert.ProposedDamAtMouthOfTempleFork.Critique.050122.pdf
https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Oaks.Robert.TempleForkDam.pdf

Wilde, Jackson, Students, locals gather at Temple Fork to learn about tentative proposal of dam site, Herald Journal, May 5, 2022 https://www.hjnews.com/news/government/students-locals-gather-at-temple-fork-to-learn-about-tentative-proposal-of-dam-site/article_e25ab74f-ac04-54fd-b7b6-dfbe8d2cc4f0.html

Oneida Narrows

O’Donnell, Michael H., State kills dam plan: Oneida Narrows project ‘not in the public interest’, Idaho State Journal, October 19, 2012, https://www.idahostatejournal.com/members/state-kills-dam-plan-oneida-narrows-project-not-in-the-public-interest/article_93e03276-19d1-11e2-8736-001a4bcf887a.html

Feds recommend against building Oneida Narrows dam, KVNU, APR 23, 2017, https://kvnutalk.com/feds-recommend-against-building-oneida-narrows-dam/

Smithfield Dam

History to be added…

Amalga Barrens

DSouza, Leon, Hyrum Dam now in focus? Utah House blocks Amalga Barrens, Honeyville sites but storage still an issue, The Herald Journal, Mar 8, 2002, https://www.hjnews.com/hyrum-dam-now-in-focus-utah-house-blocks-amalga-barrens-honeyville-sites-but-storage-still/article_2e535119-9850-56b9-9c68-1e0206c98e0e.html

Associated Press, Bear River dam must get residents’ OK, official says, Deseret News, August 7, 1999, https://www.deseret.com/1999/8/7/19459400/bear-river-dam-must-get-residents-ok-official-says

Cutler Enlargement

Dolan, Sean, PacifiCorp floating concept to raise Cutler Reservoir water level, The Herald Journal, April 17, 2017, https://www.hjnews.com/allaccess/pacificorp-floating-concept-to-raise-cutler-reservoir-water-level/article_c4b14a6a-875c-5ddd-afa7-95e88869010d.html

Honeyville, Corinne

Associated Press, Bear River dam must get residents’ OK, official says, Deseret News, August 7, 1999, https://www.deseret.com/1999/8/7/19459400/bear-river-dam-must-get-residents-ok-official-says

Raising Hyrum Dam

Associated Press, Funding OK’d For Study of Hyrum Dam, Reservoir Plan, Deseret News, Dec 19, 1992, https://www.deseret.com/1992/12/19/19022388/funding-ok-d-for-study-of-hyrum-dam-reservoir-plan

Hyrum Project, US Bureau of Reclamation, US Department of the Interior, https://www.usbr.gov/projects/index.php?id=473

Cub River

Fielding

Washakie

Bauman, Joe, Water projects’ environmental costs questioned, Deseret News, December 29, 2004, https://www.deseret.com/2004/12/29/19868975/water-projects-environmental-costs-questioned

Whites Valley

Maffly, Brian, State eyes northern Utah valley to store Bear River water, Salt Lake Tribune, November 1, 2021, https://www.hjnews.com/news/local/state-eyes-northern-utah-valley-to-store-bear-river-water/article_055c6537-abfd-52f7-b25f-be8fffd64eac.html

Weber Bay

Arthur V. Watkins Dam Crest Raise, Willard Reservoir Final Environmental Assessment, US Bureau of Reclamation, US Department of the Interior, April, 2015, https://www.usbr.gov/uc/envdocs/ea/avwatkins/crestRaise/finalEA.pdf