HYRUM, Cache County — An aging spillway that brought some concerns for failure during a record water year in 2023 is now being replaced.
The project will take about four years, but managers with the Bureau of Reclamation say the area already has a major safety upgrade in place. Provo area manager Rick Baxter says a new water bypass will help them better manage issues.
"We're in a much better spot than we ever have been," Baxter explained. "Now we have this expanded bypass, which will allow us to not have to move as much water through the existing spillway, reducing our risk of failure."
The now 90-year-old spillway caused what the Bureau calls a Level 1 emergency during a record water year in 2023, as crews had to keep an eye on water flow 24 hours a day, as they worked to get the level of Hyrum Reservoir down. Baxter says they will be very unlikely to see similar issues when the new spillway is complete.
"This is sized for a 100,000-year event," Baxter said. "So it will have enough capacity to move a lot of water."
AMES Federal Contracting Group of Burnsville, Minnesota, is overseeing construction of the $115.9 million project, which will keep the road over the dam closed for the duration. The new spillway will include some 330,000 cubic yards of material, 15,500 cubic yards of concrete, and 5.4 million pounds of reinforcing steel.
"Structurally, it'll be more sound than what we had in the Depression era," Baxter said. "This is exciting. This is something we've been waiting for for quite a while."
