Jordanelle Reservoir is a
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
in
Wasatch County, Utah
Wasatch County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 23,530. Its county seat and largest city is Heber City. The county was named for a Ute Native American word meaning ''mountain pa ...
, United States,
just north of
Heber City.
Jordanelle Reservoir is fed and drained primarily by the
Provo River
The Provo River is located in Utah County and Wasatch County, Utah, in the United States. It rises in the Uinta Mountains at Wall Lake and flows about southwest to Utah Lake at the city of Provo, Utah.
Course
The two main branches of Provo Rive ...
, and is impounded by the Jordanelle Dam, an
earthen dam
An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and ...
. The construction of the dam resulted in the reroutings of both
U.S. Route 40 and
U.S. Route 189
U.S. Route 189 is a spur of U.S. Route 89. It currently runs for 322 miles (518 km) from Provo, Utah at Interstate 15 to Jackson, Wyoming. The highway was not part of the original 1926 U.S. Highway system. The highway was created in the ...
(which now run concurrently over the summit of nearby mountains) and the submergence of the towns of
Keetley,
Hailstone
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...
, and
Jordanelle.
[Utah History to Go](_blank)
/ref>
Jordanelle State Park
Construction of the dam started on June 27, 1987, and was completed on April 12, 1993. Jordanelle State Park opened on June 29, 1995. Construction of the dam was challenged by several groups. Conservationists
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental, and social movement that seeks to manage and protect natural resources, including animal, fungus, and plant species as well as their habitat for the f ...
wanted to maintain the natural state of the Provo River. Because of this, a large area at the foot of the dam was converted into an artificial wetland
A constructed wetland is an artificial wetland to treat sewage, greywater, stormwater runoff or industrial wastewater. It may also be designed for land reclamation after mining, or as a mitigation step for natural areas lost to land development. ...
.Utah Outdoors website
/ref> Other groups were concerned that the site was geologically flawed, citing the catastrophic failure of the Teton Dam
The Teton Dam was an earthen dam in the western United States, on the Teton River in eastern Idaho. It was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, one of eight federal agencies authorized to construct dams.Perrow, Charles. ''Normal Accidents ...
in Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
in 1976. Mining interests in nearby Park City
Park City may refer to: a city in Utah.
Places
* National Park City, London, England, UK; see parks and open spaces in London
in the United States
* Park City, Illinois
* Park City, Kansas
* Park City, Kentucky
* Park City, Montana
* Park City, ...
were also concerned, fearing that the reservoir would flood sections of the Ontario silver mine
The Ontario silver mine is a mine that was active starting in 1872, and is located near Park City, Utah, United States.
History
The lode was discovered by accident on 19 January 1872 by Herman Budden, Rector Steen (Pike), John Kain, and Gus M ...
.
During the summer months, Jordanelle is a destination for triathletes and runners alike. Because of the State Park's rugged terrain on the Rock Cliff side, sponsors host sprint triathlons in addition to races and ultra marathons
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
.
See also
* List of dams and reservoirs in Utah
Following is a list of dams and reservoirs in Utah.
All major dams are linked below. The National Inventory of Dams defines any "major dam" as being tall with a storage capacity of at least , or of any height with a storage capacity of .
Dams an ...
* List of Utah State Parks
Utah State Parks is the common name for the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation; a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. This is the state agency that manages the state park system of the U.S. state of Utah.
Utah' ...
References
External links
Blue Ribbon Fisheries - Jordanelle Reservoir
*
Jordanelle Fishing Info
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Reservoirs in Utah
State parks of Utah
Lakes of Wasatch County, Utah
Buildings and structures in Wasatch County, Utah
Protected areas of Wasatch County, Utah
Dams in Utah
United States Bureau of Reclamation dams
Dams completed in 1992
Constructed wetlands
1992 establishments in Utah