Why Pineview Reservoir will be almost empty by this fall

Pineview Reservoir. Photo: Flickr

OGDEN VALLEY, Utah — One of northern Utah’s most popular recreation destinations will soon look dramatically different.

Pineview Reservoir will be drawn down to 1.7% of its storage capacity by mid-September as part of a roughly $100 million project to replace a deteriorating drinking water pipeline that supplies much of Ogden City.

The planned drawdown has prompted concern from recreation businesses, anglers, and water users, while city officials argue the work is necessary to protect the region’s long-term drinking water supply.

The project centers on replacing a nearly century-old pipeline that lies beneath the reservoir.

Built in the 1930s, the line carries treated drinking water from Pineview to Ogden and serves approximately 135,000 residents across Ogden, South Ogden, Riverdale, and parts of Weber County. According to Ogden City, the existing pipeline has reached the end of its service life and replacing it now will help prevent potentially catastrophic failures in the future.

To access the pipeline, crews must expose infrastructure buried beneath approximately 50 feet of water.

In order to lower the reservoir, water is being held upstream at Echo Reservoir while water managers release more to be held downstream at Willard Bay Reservoir. These releases have already begun increasing slightly and will accelerate in early September, with construction expected to begin in October and conclude in January. The reservoir is expected to reach its lowest level around November before gradually refilling over the winter and spring, depending on runoff conditions.

According to Ogden City, conducting the work during an already dry year minimizes impacts because reservoir levels would have been significantly lower than normal regardless. City officials also say completing the replacement now avoids the risk of an emergency failure that could interrupt drinking water service for tens of thousands of residents.

Not everyone agrees with that assessment.

As first reported by the Salt Lake Tribune, Weber Basin Water Conservancy District General Manager Scott Paxman said Pineview typically retains about 40,000 acre-feet of water by the end of irrigation season. This year, because of the construction drawdown, he expects only about 2,000 acre-feet will remain by Oct. 1 — the lowest level since the 1970s.

“Their perspective is it’s going to be low anyway, might as well do it,” Paxman told the Tribune. “Well yes, but that might be the only water we have left next year.”

The unusually low water levels are also expected to affect recreation throughout the fall.

According to reporting by KSL NewsRadio, marina operators and recreation businesses have expressed concerns about shortened boating seasons and reduced visitor traffic as boat ramps become unusable earlier than normal. Businesses that rely on late-summer and fall recreation worry the drawdown could significantly impact revenue.

With water levels expected to drop substantially, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is encouraging anglers to harvest more fish before habitat becomes increasingly limited.

Beginning Thursday, July 2, the DWR temporarily increased daily catch limits at Pineview Reservoir.

Wildlife officials say the temporary regulation is intended to reduce the number of fish that could be lost as shrinking water levels concentrate fish into smaller areas later this year.

Balancing infrastructure and recreation

The pipeline replacement also carries broader implications for water management in northern Utah.

A previous proposal for a new pipeline was promoted not only as a way to modernize aging infrastructure but also to improve operational flexibility, allowing Ogden to rely less on direct diversions from the Ogden River during certain times of year. Supporters argued that could leave more water flowing downstream toward the Great Salt Lake and benefit wetlands used by migratory birds.

For now, however, much of the public conversation has centered on the visible impacts at Pineview itself.

As reservoir levels continue falling through the summer and early fall, boaters, anglers, and visitors can expect changing launch conditions and reduced access in some areas before construction begins later this year.

Ogden City says the temporary inconvenience is necessary to ensure a reliable drinking water system that will serve northern Utah for generations to come, while critics hope the unprecedented drawdown does not create longer-term consequences if another dry year follows.