News Release Archive

Repair Work to Begin on Wanship Dam Spillway

Media Contact: Barry Wirth, 801-524-3774, bwirth@uc.usbr.gov

For Release: February 10, 2006

Repair work of a portion of the spillway wall at Wanship Dam on the Weber River near Park City, Utah, will begin immediately. Crews from the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District (WBWCD), Reclamation, and a contractor to be determined later will be repairing a portion of the right spillway wall that collapsed recently due to the movement and pressure of saturated soil behind the wall.

Wanship Dam, which impounds Rockport Reservoir, is part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Weber Basin Project and is operated and maintained by the WBWCD. The dam was completed in 1957. The dam itself remains structurally sound and is not involved in any way with the spillway work. The spillway is an open concrete chute founded on bedrock beside the dam and the purpose of the wall is to direct the water down the spillway and into the Weber River.

The work will be completed prior to the spring runoff. Typically Wanship Dam's spillway operates in late May or early June, so there is nearly a three-month period to complete the work. The cost of the repairs has not yet been determined. The first priority is to design the repair and complete the work in time for the spring runoff.

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