Scofield Reservoir
{{Short description| Reservoir in the state of Utah, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Scofield Reservoir
| image = Scofield.jpg
| caption = Scofield Reservoir and dam
| image_bathymetry =
| caption_bathymetry =
| location = Carbon County, Utah,
United States
| coords = {{coord|39|47|13|N|111|07|12|W|region:US-UT_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}
| type = reservoir
| inflow = Price River
| outflow = Price River
| catchment = {{convert|4350000|acre|km2}}
| basin_countries = United States
| length = 4.9 mi (7.9 km)
| width = 2.1 mi (3.3 km)
| area = {{convert|2815|acre|km2}}
| depth = 26 ft (7.9 m)
| max-depth = 66 ft (20.1 m)
| volume = {{convert|73600|acre.ft|m3|abbr=on}}
| shore = 15.5 mi (24.9 km)
| elevation = 7,618 ft (2,321 m)
| islands = 1
| pushpin_map = Utah#USA
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt = Location of Scofield Reservoir in Utah, USA.
| pushpin_map_caption =
| website = [https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/scofield/ Official website]
| reference =
}}
File:Scofield Reservoir aerial.jpg
File:Scofield Reservoir 20201121 132430.jpg
Scofield Reservoir is a {{convert|2815|acre|km2|adj=on}} reservoir impounded by Scofield Dam, in Carbon County, Utah. Located on the Price River, a tributary of the Green River, Scofield Reservoir is adjacent to the northernmost boundary of the Manti–La Sal National Forest. The reservoir sits at an elevation of {{convert|7618|ft}}, on the northern edge of the Wasatch Plateau. Utah State Route 96 runs along the eastern shoreline.
After initial attempts to complete a permanent dam on the Price River, the Scofield project was initiated by the US Bureau of Reclamation. The Scofield project eventually irrigated area lands originally to be served by Mammoth Dam, and later by the defunct Gooseberry project. The present-day dam was completed in 1946.[http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/scofield.html Scofield Project] Besides providing flood protection due to variable stream flow, the reservoir is an important source of water for municipal and industrial sources. It is also a popular fishing and outdoor recreation spot for nearby communities.
Hydrology
The reservoir is on the Price River. The reservoir is also fed by groundwater and many small intermittent mountain streams during spring runoff. Principal among these are Fish Creek (Utah) and Clear Creek Canyon (Utah) Annual inflow is {{convert|52000|acre.ft|m3|abbr=on}}.[http://www.waterquality.utah.gov Utah Division of Water Quality – Home Page]
History
Irrigation development of lands served by the Scofield project began in 1883. Ditch companies were organized, and the water was diverted from the natural flow of the Price River. From time to time, canal systems were combined and extended until it was found that the natural flow of the river was inadequate to supply irrigation demands fully.
The Mammoth Reservoir Company was incorporated and made filings on the floodwaters of the Price River in 1896. In 1900, a group of farmers from Sanpete County secured the company's rights to store water and convey it by transmountain diversion to their lands.
In 1902, the Sanpete group had financial difficulties, and the project passed into the hands of the Irrigated Lands Co. The latter company abandoned the idea of watering Sanpete County lands and made plans to irrigate {{convert|25000|acre|km2}} near Price, Utah. The company, in cooperation with the State of Utah, proceeded with the construction of Mammoth Dam. After going through considerable financial difficulty, the Irrigated Lands Co. was reorganized in 1911 to form the Price River Irrigation Co., which developed the project as rapidly as financial conditions and demand for water would permit. The dam failed on June 25, 1917, when it was only partly completed, releasing {{convert|11000|acre.ft|m3|abbr=on}} of water and causing flood damage estimated at $1 million to railroad and mining property.
The Price River Water Conservation District, a municipal corporation, was organized in 1921 to develop storage facilities in the Price River watershed to replace the destroyed Mammoth Dam. Under the district's direction, Scofield Dam {{coord|39|47|12|N|111|07|13|W}} was constructed during 1925–1926. The reservoir formed behind the dam had a capacity of {{convert|6000|acre.ft|m3|abbr=on}}. In May 1928, with the reservoir practically filled for the first time, the dam partially failed.
Emergency repairs, together with the rapid evacuation of storage water through the outlet tunnel, were effective in preventing complete failure and a devastating flood. Numerous attempts at placing the dam in a safe operating condition were unsuccessful. In view of the apparent weakness of the dam, storage in Scofield Reservoir was strictly limited to a maximum of {{convert|30000|acre.ft|m3|abbr=on}}.
The replacement of the original dam was expedited during World War II because a potential failure of the existing dam posed a threat to the war effort.[http://www.waterquality.utah.gov/ Utah Division of Water Quality – Home Page] The Bureau of Reclamation investigated the development of the Scofield project in accordance with a cooperative contract between the United States and the State of Utah. The study resulted in the adoption of the plan to replace the unsafe Scofield Dam with a completely new and larger structure to be erected about {{convert|800|ft|m}} downstream from the existing dam.
The project was authorized by the president on June 24, 1943, under the terms of the Water Conservation and Utilization Act of August 11, 1939 (53 Stat. 1418), as amended.
Under the Utah Water Conservancy Act of 1941, the Carbon Water Conservancy District was organized in 1943 for the purpose of negotiating a contract with the United States for the construction of the new dam. Contract negotiations between this district, the Price River Water Conservation District, and the United States were completed in 1943.
Construction of the new storage works by the W.W. Clyde Company of Springville, Utah, was undertaken during World War II to prevent possible flood damage to the main line of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, the State highway, the telephone and telegraph lines, and the coal mines, all of which were important to the war effort. The new dam was completed June 15, 1946.
Current dam
Scofield Dam is a zoned earthfill structure with a structural height of {{convert|125|ft|m}}. The dam's crest length is {{convert|575|ft|m}} with a top width of thirty feet. It contains 204,000 cubic yards of material. The maximum base width is {{convert|400|ft|m}}. Total capacity of Scofield Reservoir is {{convert|73600|acre.ft|m3|abbr=on}} with an active capacity of {{convert|65800|acre.ft|m3|abbr=on}}. The spillway is an uncontrolled concrete crest and concrete-lined chute at the right abutment.[http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/scofieldh.html Scofield Project – History]
Uses
Uses of Scofield Reservoir and its watershed include coal mining, agriculture, residential, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, camping, and a variety of other types of summer and winter recreations.
Initially, the Federal government viewed the dam as a flood control measure to prevent damage to vital defense industries and transportation. For the local population, Scofield Dam and Reservoir also supplied irrigation water for surrounding farms. In 1943, local farms grew alfalfa, barley, beans, corn, oats, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, and pasture. Orchard crops around Helper included peaches, pears, apricots, and apples.
Crop values on the Scofield project reached over one million dollars in the 1960s and early 1970s. From 1973 to 1974, crop values jumped from $1,552,089 to $3,672,419. The drought of 1977 caused the value to plunge to $1,515,005. Gross crop value reached four million dollars in 1981.
While still providing flood protection and sustainable water supply, the reservoir now serves as a popular recreation area. It is part of Scofield State Park, part of the Utah State Parks system.[http://stateparks.utah.gov/ Utah State Parks]
Scofield has traditionally been one of Utah's top fisheries. Besides producing desirable sizes and quantities of trout, it is unique in that it is an outstanding shore fishery. The reservoir is home to rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, redside shiner, mountain sucker. Common invertebrate species include damselfly, mayfly, and crayfish.[http://wildlife.utah.gov/fishing/scofield_tips.html Utah Division of Wildlife Resources] It is also popular during the winter as an ice fishery. In recent years the fishery and its management have been impacted due to water quality impairments.
The reservoir is also home to the Scofield triathlon, held annually since 2006.[http://www.scofieldtriathlon.com Scofield Triathlon]
Climate
{{Weather box
|location = Scofield Dam, Utah, 1991–2020 normals, 1971-1990 precip/snowfall: 7630ft (2326m)
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high F = 54
|Feb record high F = 57
|Mar record high F = 64
|Apr record high F = 71
|May record high F = 78
|Jun record high F = 89
|Jul record high F = 92
|Aug record high F = 89
|Sep record high F = 86
|Oct record high F = 78
|Nov record high F = 64
|Dec record high F = 51
|year record high F =
|Jan avg record high F = 42.6
|Feb avg record high F = 48.4
|Mar avg record high F = 53.4
|Apr avg record high F = 65.4
|May avg record high F = 73.0
|Jun avg record high F = 81.4
|Jul avg record high F = 86.4
|Aug avg record high F = 85.1
|Sep avg record high F = 80.9
|Oct avg record high F = 67.0
|Nov avg record high F = 57.8
|Dec avg record high F = 46.0
|year avg record high F = 78.8
|Jan high F = 30.3
|Feb high F = 33.8
|Mar high F = 42.0
|Apr high F = 49.2
|May high F = 60.7
|Jun high F = 72.2
|Jul high F = 78.4
|Aug high F = 78.2
|Sep high F = 68.0
|Oct high F = 55.2
|Nov high F = 41.9
|Dec high F = 30.7
|year high F =
|Jan mean F = 16.9
|Feb mean F = 19.8
|Mar mean F = 28.6
|Apr mean F = 37.2
|May mean F = 46.2
|Jun mean F = 55.6
|Jul mean F = 61.6
|Aug mean F = 61.4
|Sep mean F = 52.6
|Oct mean F = 42.0
|Nov mean F = 29.9
|Dec mean F = 18.6
|year mean F =
|Jan low F = 3.6
|Feb low F = 5.7
|Mar low F = 15.1
|Apr low F = 25.1
|May low F = 31.7
|Jun low F = 39.0
|Jul low F = 44.7
|Aug low F = 44.6
|Sep low F = 37.2
|Oct low F = 28.7
|Nov low F = 17.9
|Dec low F = 6.4
|year low F =
|Jan avg record low F = -14.6
|Feb avg record low F = -13.4
|Mar avg record low F = -1.9
|Apr avg record low F = 10.9
|May avg record low F = 20.1
|Jun avg record low F = 32.5
|Jul avg record low F = 34.4
|Aug avg record low F = 37.0
|Sep avg record low F = 26.0
|Oct avg record low F = 12.6
|Nov avg record low F = 2.0
|Dec avg record low F = -14.6
|year avg record low F = -15.8
|Jan record low F = −45
|Feb record low F = −43
|Mar record low F = −26
|Apr record low F = -10
|May record low F = 9
|Jun record low F = 20
|Jul record low F = 29
|Aug record low F = 24
|Sep record low F = 8
|Oct record low F = 0
|Nov record low F = -22
|Dec record low F = −39
|year record low F =
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.96
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.96
|Mar precipitation inch = 1.04
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.83
|May precipitation inch = 1.04
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.72
|Jul precipitation inch = 1.15
|Aug precipitation inch = 1.39
|Sep precipitation inch = 1.28
|Oct precipitation inch = 1.31
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.04
|Dec precipitation inch = 0.85
|year precipitation inch =
|Jan snow inch = 21.9
|Feb snow inch = 21.3
|Mar snow inch = 19.4
|Apr snow inch = 8.0
|May snow inch = 2.2
|Jun snow inch = 0.1
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.2
|Oct snow inch = 3.5
|Nov snow inch = 17.0
|Dec snow inch = 18.3
|year snow inch =
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00427724&format=pdf
|title = Scofield Dam, Utah 1991-2020 Monthly Normals
|access-date = November 5, 2023
}}
|source 2 = XMACIS2 (precipitation, snow & records)
{{cite web
|url = https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = xmACIS
|access-date = November 5, 2023
}}
}}
Communities
To the direct south of the reservoir is the town of Scofield, Utah. Approximately {{convert|45|mi|km}} northwest, lies the Provo–Orem metropolitan area.
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{commons category|Scofield Reservoir}}
- [http://stateparks.utah.gov/stateparks/parks/scofield/ Official Scofield State Park website]
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060528022906/http://www.utahfishinginfo.com/utahlakes/scofield.php Scofield Fishing Info]}}
{{UT Parks}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Tributaries of the Green River (Colorado River tributary)
Category:Lakes of Carbon County, Utah