A little over a week ago officials announced that the evacuation notice for Panguitch was no longer in effect. A week later, let’s see how Panguitch Lake Dam is doing.
Monday Garfield County, Utah Department of Public Safety and Panguitch City put out another update sharing continual progress. Panguitch Lake had dropped 15 inches from April 9 when the release began. By Saturday, levels will have been low enough to see the damage in the top two to five feet of the dam and begin making repairs.
On Saturday, water coming from the dam into Panguitch Creek was going at 180 cubic feet per second. In the past week that number peaked at around 210 cfs on Monday before dropping quickly down to 187 and going steadily down from there.
With the extra water released, some surface level flooding occurred in low lying pastures and corrals. Water is running cold, high and fast in Panguitch Creek and other connected rivers and streams. Children and pets should be kept away.
Runoff, though also a concern initially, has not been a problem. Since last Thursday, seven inches of water has run off the Castle Valley SNOTEL site. At 6:00 p.m. Saturday, the site had 10.7 inches of snow water equivalent, and a snow depth of 28 inches.
Last weekend, high winds blew ice against the dam wall, but equipment operators removed the ice. It is still not safe to go near the dam.
– The Byway
Feature image caption: Panguitch Creek running at 220 cubic feet per second under Highway 89 at the Fairgrounds in Panguitch. Wednesday, April 11, 2024. Courtesy of AJ Martel, The Byway.