According to Weber Basin Water Conservancy District CEO Scott Paxman, a pair of steel siphon pipes installed during the mid-1970s have been corroding and the issue must now be addressed.

“These siphons are used to deliver water to Compass Minerals, to the bird refuge and a couple of other customers on that southwest end,” Paxman told the Standard-Examiner. “And the last 10 years, we’ve noticed that there has been some pretty decent corrosion on the outside and inside of those siphons.”

Paxman noted that repair work was done as recently as 2017, but the siphons — which measure 16 inches and 24 inches, respectively — could not be replaced. It was thought that the work done then would buy the district another five years before a permanent solution would need to be installed. Now, that work is overdue.

Construction was initially delayed amid cost increases following the COVID-19 pandemic and contractor bids coming in well above budget. Paxman said that the district had also hoped to wait for a drier year when reservoir levels were lower to do the work, but the project can no longer be delayed.

So, the water levels are being lowered so that work can begin on the installation of a replacement pipeline.

“We chose to put an actual low-level outlet, so a pipeline right through the bottom of the dike, fairly close to where the siphons are,” Paxman said. “It’ll be a 48-inch pipeline that’ll go through the dike at that location. But to do that, we’ve got to cut the dike all the way down to the foundation. And to do that, we’ve got to put a temporary dike around the work area so that we can keep the reservoir on one side and we can drain or evacuate the dam and the water on the other side.”

To lower the water levels to the necessary levels for the pipeline construction, Paxman said water from the reservoir is being pumped back into the Weber River and delivered to irrigation companies. Meanwhile, the water from upstream reservoirs that is typically delivered to those companies is being held.

“So we’re pumping more water to our customers, but we’re also releasing water out of the spill in the north end of the dike to bring the level of Willard Bay down to about half full,” Paxman said.

The goal is to have the water levels down to 50% by Aug. 1 when the work is scheduled to begin. According to Paxman, the project will cost roughly $8 million and will run through December or January. In the meantime, he expects that those looking to use the reservoir for recreational purposes should be able to participate in those activities.

“We’re expecting, in that 50% range, that there’s going to be some islands showing up in the reservoir. So, people have to be cautious about boating out there, but, for the most part, recreation should be fairly normal,” Paxman said. “I would just recommend, for the recreationists just to stay away from that area, that southwest corner of the reservoir, because there’s going to be a lot of heavy equipment and they’re going to be working in the reservoir as well as on the outside.”