High Mountain Dams in Upaco Unit, Superior Lake Dam, Ashley National Forest, 12.4 miles Northwest of Swift Creek Campground, Mountain Home

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Superior Lake is one of several natural high mountain lakes in the Swift Creek and Yellowstone River drainages dammed by the Farmers Irrigation Company in the and to store water for irrigation. The dam is a representative example of small-scale earth-fill construction in the Upalco Unit of the Central Utah Project. Inventoried by: Clayton Fraser and James Jurale Fraserdesign Loveland, Colorado October 21, High Mountain Dams in Upalco Unit, Superior Lake Dam HAER No. UT-42-L (Page 2)

Historical Information

On February special use permits were issued by the National Forest Service to the Farmers Irrigation Company for the purpose of water storage on Superior and Five Point lakes, two high mountain lakes in the Yellowstone River drainage. Located at an elevation of feet, Superior was the highest of the two. It was composed of two shallow bodies of water in its naturaL state, with an outlet stream flowing east, the dam that the irrigation company built in along the southern edge effectively doubled the lake's surface area and diverted its outlet flow south into the Five Point Lake. The dam is a small-scale earth-fill structure with sloped faces covered by stone riprap. In the Moon Lake Water Users Association rehabilitated the original cribbed log support structure for riprap.

In the Moon Lake Water Users Association rehabilitated the original cribbed log support structure for the outlet gate. The dam and gate remain. It is proposed to breach the dam by excavating a spillway through it, remove the timber crib, and lock the outlet pipe to lower the water to within five feet of its natural scale.

Architectural Information

Dam length: 235 feet Dam height: 17 feet Dam width: 5 feet Construct: Earth fill dam with stone riprap facing Lake size: acres; 359 acre-foot maximum capacity; 16 vertical foot maximum drawdown Outlet: Gated steel pipe BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION "Preliminary Engineering Report: Stabilization of High Mountain Lakes, Upalco Unit, National Forest Service Report, page 40. William F. Gettleman, "Report on the Lakes and Reservoir of the Headwaters of the Uintah, Whiterocks and Lakefork Rivers, Uintah Project, Utah: Feb. page 19. Superior Lake Reservoir File, Roosevelt District Ranger Office, Ashley National Forest, Roosevelt, Utah Field inspection by Robert Righter, July 28, For additional information, see Irrigation Canals in the Uinta Basin, HAER No. UT-30.

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