The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced in March that it awarded a $115 million contract to Ames Federal Contracting Group of Burnsville, Minn., for the construction of a new spillway on Hyrum Dam in Hyrum, Utah, according to cachevalleydaily.com.
"The spillway at Hyrum Dam is used every year to release excess water downstream, and though continuous maintenance has occurred on the spillway since its construction, the 90-year-old structure is in need of replacement," said Wayne Pullan, Reclamation Upper Colorado Basin regional director.
Recently, the dam's original 24-inch outlet works piping was replaced with larger, 36-inch piping, which will quadruple the outlet's discharge capacity from 50 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 200 cfs.
Provo Area Office Manager Rick Baxter said construction should last about three years.
"Working with our project partners, Reclamation will continue to take every precaution at Hyrum Dam," he said. "That includes our recently completed work to expand the size of the dam's outlet works so more water can be conveyed through the outlet and alleviate additional stress on the existing spillway until a new one is built."
Cachevalleydaily.com reported that the construction funding for the spillway project is secure because it falls under the safety of dam funding.
"It has to be approved by Congress and should not be under scrutiny by the current administration," Baxter said. "We hope the construction will begin in June."
The South Cache Water Users Association (SCWUA) operates and maintains the dam.
A Reclamation press release said that the SCWUA has minimized the amount of water released through the spillway. When spillway releases peaked in recent years, Reclamation monitored around-the-clock to assess the possibility of spillway failure. It staged heavy equipment and riprap material near the spillway in case immediate action was needed.
Dam construction began in 1934 and was completed the following year. It was built as a rolled earth and rockfill structure that included 352,000 cu. yds. of earth fill; 62,000 cu. yds. of rockfill; and 13,000 cu. yds. of riprap and gravel blanket.
The dam on Little Bear River impounds a total capacity of 18,685 acre-ft. of water storage for irrigation and municipal use. It has a surface area of 480 acres of water. The South Cache Water Users Association uses that water used for irrigation. The area also is used for recreation and fishing.
(All photos courtesy of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.)
