Pineview Reservoir pipeline project advancing; fish population managing

OGDEN VALLEY, Weber County — The pipeline project that led to the draining of Pineview Reservoir is advancing quicker than anticipated and could be completed in December, slightly ahead of schedule.

The varied elements of the work are "going really well, and we are again on track," said Justin Anderson, executive director of public services for Ogden. Early January was the original anticipated completion date.

At the same time, he and a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources representative announced details of plans to install around 1,300 "large fish structures" around the bed of the lake that will help the fish population in the reservoir multiply and thrive once it's refilled.

"Right now we've got a really once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to actually place these structures on the reservoir bottom while it's dry so that we can get them exactly where we want them and in the configuration that we want them," said Chris Penne, the DWR aquatics program manager. The devices will "serve as nursery and cover habitat for small fish and then fish attractors for larger fish, which will be a boon for anglers."

Pineview, a popular recreational draw in Weber County, was largely drained through the summer and fall to permit installation of a new section of pipeline along the bed of the reservoir, part of the system that hauls water from a series of well fields abutting the lake. It's one element, albeit a fairly dramatic one, of the larger $100 million project to replace 6.4 miles of aging pipeline between the reservoir and Ogden.

Anderson and others met with reporters last September as installation of the new pipeline section atop the Pineview Reservoir bed commenced. They met with them again on Thursday to offer an update on the efforts. The new 48-inch wide pipeline section has been installed, though it needs to be covered, and crews are in the process of pushing new pipeline through the old section so it can still be used when needed going forward.

Once the new pipeline section across Pineview is complete, the process to refill it will begin. Additional elements of the broader project will continue through the Ogden Canyon to Ogden over the next two years or so, according to Anderson.

Fish are 'doing fine'

While Pineview wasn't completely drained, much of its bed is now exposed, which forced the fish in the water body to the westernmost end of the reservoir near the dam structure.

Penne said some younger fish likely died in the process. Others exited Pineview through irrigation canals, some making it all the way to Brigham City before being washed into pasture land. By and large, though, he thinks the fish population is managing.

"They're doing fine," he said. "They're concentrated, but they're doing good."

Ogden is contributing $200,000 to the initiative to install fish structures, with another $50,000 coming from the Utah Department of Natural Resources. The work to place them will likely take place in January, and volunteers will be needed to help.

Then in the spring, state officials will survey the fish population "and see what condition they're in, and then that's going to drive how we stock and how we manage from here on out for the next several years," Penne said. "Based off historical data, we're expecting it'll bounce back within about five years for a lot of the species."

Officials on Thursday also announced plans to upgrade and replace the Port Ramp Marina boat ramp on the west side of Pineview, adjacent to the area where the new pipeline section is being installed on the reservoir bed. Improvements are already underway at the marina, Pineview Trailhead and Windsurfer Beach, all clustered together, as part of a U.S. Forest Service initiative.

"Just happy to see all the improvements being made for the public to continue to enjoy," said Ashley Klase, the Ogden district ranger for the Forest Service. The Forest Service is funding the project while Ogden, Anderson said, is providing "in-kind work."

The boat ramp and Windsurfer Beach are popular recreation draws, and Klase said the work at the location should be done sometime next year. "It's going to be completely renovated. It's going to be a brand new, awesome site," she said.