Evacuation notice lifted in Utah town downstream from cracked dam
SALT LAKE CITY — An evacuation notice was lifted Friday for the southern Utah city just downstream from a ruptured dam after public safety officials said they could release enough water to prevent a total breach.
Nearly 1,800 residents of Panguitch, a gateway to the crimson hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park, have been on high alert in recent days since inspectors discovered an unexpected 60-foot crack in the Panguitch Lake Dam on Monday. night. Residents rushed to gather their valuables in case of an evacuation, while security crews drained water into a creek and brought in boulders to stabilize the wall.
By Friday, water levels in the reservoir had dropped 8 inches, easing pressure on the dam enough that state and local officials said they could confidently lift an evacuation order urging residents to be ready to enter the city two hours after an explosion. infringement. Panguitch is about 10 miles downstream from the dam.
“We want to let go of that fear, but we still want people to be ready to go, just kind of have a preparedness mentality,” Wade Mathews, spokesman for the Utah Department of Public Safety, said Friday.
Lowering the reservoir below the affected area will take another seven to 10 days, he said. Safety crews will continue to lower the water level until it is 0.3 meters below the cracked area so inspectors can fully assess the damage.
Everett Taylor, an assistant engineer for dam safety with the Utah Division of Water Rights, urged residents to remain vigilant during the spring season because unforeseen circumstances could cause officials to reinstate the evacuation notice.
The rift won’t be repaired until the end of that second season, normally in June, Taylor said. Spring water levels are too high for construction crews to make major repairs, he explained, so any stabilizing elements put in place this week will remain in place until early summer.
“To fix the dam we would have to undo everything we’ve done, and that would just create another emergency,” Taylor said.
Over the past week, crews cut into an ice sheet that had pressed against the dam, causing the top to crack and topple downstream. The ice sheet has since retreated and the wall is no longer tilting, Taylor said. Safety workers have left the necessary equipment on site so that they can act immediately if strong winds cause the ice to move against the dam again.
The dam was built in the late 1800s, but the upper section that burst was added in the 1930s and 1940s. State officials said there had been no previous concerns about its structural integrity.
Although the dam itself no longer poses a current danger to nearby communities, Matthews said, the controlled release from the reservoir has allowed cold water to flow through the city’s creeks and streams. The risk of drowning is particularly high, he said, urging residents and visitors to avoid fast-flowing water.