# Panguitch Lake & Navajo lake too.



## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Was in Bryce Canyon today, traveled to Cedar so I stopped by Panguitch Lake for about 1 1/2 hours. Tried several spinners, a black wooly bugger and a brown pistol peat behind a bubble and had some power bait on the second pole. Didn't have alot of time but not even a bite.  That was around 5 pm.

The lake is ice free.

Asay Creek is full, over the banks and brown, Mammoth at 89 and by the cabins is high and brown. That makes the Sevier River over flowing and brown. Navajo is still completely iced over with some small openings, one where the dike is breached and another area closer to the northeast end. I was hoping to have enough time to run over to Pine Lake and Tropic Reservoir to take a look but the work I had to do took longer than I had wanted.

I am afraid Navajo is going to be empty fast even with all the snow because of the dike breach. 

Edit to add: I talked to a guy that went to otter they only caught 1 small one, he talked to a guy there that had been to Panguitch earlier in the day and said it was slow in the boat.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

*Re: Panguitch Lake*

Tough luck bowgy.. sometimes timing is everything.

I would expect the waters in that country to be running muddy for awhile. Crazy year.

Better luck next time to ya!


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## cosmo71 (Aug 12, 2009)

*Re: Panguitch Lake*

Sounds like Bowgy need to lay off the cheese and start chucking some flies


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## Kingfisher (Jul 25, 2008)

*Re: Panguitch Lake*

sevier river at kingston - second highest april streamflow since the gage installation in 1915. they have lost about 15% of the snowpack there. it will run high for a long time. record was 1916.


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## dixonha (Jan 12, 2009)

*Re: Panguitch Lake*

Probably will be slow from the boat depending where you're fishing. The fish are hugging the shoreline right now. Stay close to shore and you should do alright.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

*Re: Panguitch Lake*



bowgy said:


> I am afraid Navajo is going to be empty fast even with all the snow because of the dike breach.


We will lose Navajo completely. Really, there is nothing we can do about it. You cannot get heavy equipment to work on the dike until the the ground is dry enough to drive the equipment to do the repairs. Unfortunately, without the ability to keep the water from entering the east side of the dike (because of the hole in the dike), it won't dry out until all the water runs out of the lake. Sounds to me like we'll be able to "jump" across "Navajo Creek" later this fall...

Further concern is: What's the solution? It is very obvious that an earthen dam cannot hold up when water goes over the top of the dam - as is the case with Navajo. So, how do you fix this long-term? If you simply use dirt and rocks to repair the dike, it's just going to happen again next year, and the year after. So, do you replace it with a concrete dam? Where will the money come from to construct a completely new dike/dam? I believe that the future of Navajo Lake is bleak...


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

*Re: Panguitch Lake*

Let's transplant a bunch of beavers to Navajo Lake! :lol:


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## dixonha (Jan 12, 2009)

*Re: Panguitch Lake*

PBH--what is the difference with the breach this year as opposed to previous years when there has been a breach in the dike? I've seen water on both sides due to breaches many times in the past and it never dried up. Low, but not dry. Thoughts?


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## BrookTroutKid (Oct 10, 2007)

*Re: Panguitch Lake*



dixonha said:


> PBH--what is the difference with the breach this year as opposed to previous years when there has been a breach in the dike? I've seen water on both sides due to breaches many times in the past and it never dried up. Low, but not dry. Thoughts?


The Breach is gets deeper every time I go to the lake. The deeper it gets the more water flows into the lava tubes the dam was built over.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

*Re: Panguitch Lake*

like btk said - It's big. The hole in the dike this year is huge. Also, it's about 3/4 of the way across the dike, as opposed to being all the way on the south end like last year.

Looking at the breach last fall, I honestly had to wonder if a sink-hole had formed directly under the dike at the point of this breach. I'd be willing to wager that the deepest part of the whole lake is at that breach.

Dixonha -- your comment actually points out the biggest problem with the breach. Previous breaches. Multiple breaches. The dike is falling apart. Earth dams/dikes are NOT designed to hold up when submerged -- something that happens at Navajo yearly. When water subsides, it erodes. Earth dams erode, and fall apart when water runs over them.

Navajo will drain this year. There won't be a way to prevent the water from stretching to the east side of the dike, where the sink-holes are. Heavy equipment necessary to repair the breach won't be able to access this area until it dries up -- which means the lake will be drained. Welcome to Navajo Meadow / Navajo Creek.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

*Re: Panguitch Lake*



> PBH wrote:Where will the money come from to construct a completely new dike/dam? I believe that the future of Navajo Lake is bleak...


This is a problem, DWR doesn't want to pay for it, Dixie National Forest doesn't want to pay for it, Kane County doesn't want to pay for it. To get that much money I think all will need to chip in, even the state. I would think if we loose the lake that the camp grounds won't be as popular but I don't know how much money the DNF makes on them.

It will be sad to loose it.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

*Re: Panguitch Lake*



> cosmo71 wrote: Sounds like Bowgy need to lay off the cheese and start chucking some flies


Guess you didn't read the whole post


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## BrookTroutKid (Oct 10, 2007)

*Panguitch Lake*



PBH said:


> like btk said - It's big. The hole in the dike this year is huge. Also, it's about 3/4 of the way across the dike, as opposed to being all the way on the south end like last year.
> 
> Looking at the breach last fall, I honestly had to wonder if a sink-hole had formed directly under the dike at the point of this breach. I'd be willing to wager that the deepest part of the whole lake is at that breach.
> 
> ...


I think your sinkhole theory is very possible the water has eroded the dam below any remaining rock bed and the bottom resembles many of the large sinkholes elsewhere in the lake


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

*Re: Panguitch Lake*

And it does take time for the area to dry out enough to get equipment in there.

Like these guys found out. This is on the East side of the dike in late summer.
[attachment=0:1ulspzst]IMG_0511.jpg[/attachment:1ulspzst]
[attachment=1:1ulspzst]IMG_0510.jpg[/attachment:1ulspzst]
[attachment=2:1ulspzst]IMG_0509.jpg[/attachment:1ulspzst]


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## dixonha (Jan 12, 2009)

PBH--I sure hope you're wrong. I love Navajo. Great childhood memories. Honestly, in the last 10 years, I can only think of 2 years when there was enough water in it to go over the dike. Most years there is a breach, you are right about that.

Interesting read:

http://www.waterquality.utah.gov/TMDL/Navajo_Lake.pdf

"Navajo Lake was created several thousand years ago after a lava flow cut off the
natural surface flow of the uppermost part of Duck Creek in the Sevier River Drainage.
The lake is unique in that groundwater accounts for most of the inflow and all of the
outflow. Sinks located on the east end of the lake are the principal outlets; no surface
outflow exists for the lake. Sinkholes in the east end of the lake drained the lake
completely in low water years before construction of a north-south dike, just west of
major sinkholes on the east end of the lake basin."


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