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Panguitch Lake Hypolimnetic Drain
Region: Southern
ID: 7639
Project Status: Draft
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Project Details
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Need for Project
Panguitch Lake supports an extremely popular and economically important sport fishery. However, Panguitch Lake also suffers from water quality issues that threaten the fishery due to the risk of major fish loss from lethal temperature and dissolved oxygen levels during the summer months and already limits recreational opportunities due to regular harmful algal blooms in the late summer and early fall. The primary cause of the water quality issues is a high level of nutrients, specifically phosphorous (a TMDL found the Class 3A: Cold water fishery beneficial use was impaired by high total phosphorous and the low dissolved oxygen that results from excess nutrients supporting high phytoplankton production that then uses up oxygen). Nutrient-loading in Panguitch Lake for many years from a variety of nonpoint sources. Even if these nutrient sources are addressed, the high nutrient levels in Panguitch Lake will likely persist for many years. The fishery, recreational opportunities, and economic potential of Panguitch Lake would benefit greatly from a project that can help to address the nutrient load problem.
Provide evidence about the nature of the problem and the need to address it. Identify the significance of the problem using a variety of data sources. For example, if a habitat restoration project is being proposed to benefit greater sage-grouse, describe the existing plant community characteristics that limit habitat value for greater sage-grouse and identify the changes needed for habitat improvement.
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Objectives
Significantly reduce the likelihood of a major fish loss at Panguitch Lake from lethal temperature and dissolved oxygen levels during the summer months. Significantly increase recreational opportunities at Panguitch Lake by reducing the frequency and severity of harmful algal blooms in the late summer and early fall.
Provide an overall goal for the project and then provide clear, specific and measurable objectives (outcomes) to be accomplished by the proposed actions. If possible, tie to one or more of the public benefits UWRI is providing.
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Project Location/Timing Justification (Why Here? Why Now?)
Panguitch Lake supports an extremely popular and economically important sport fishery. A major fish loss would be a devastating loss for anglers and those who love Panguitch Lake for its social value, as well as those who rely upon the fishery for it's large economic value. The water quality issues that threaten the fishery need to be addressed as soon as possible. Adding a hypolimnetic drain is one of the most meaningful actions that could be taken to address the water quality issues. In the spring of 2024, cracks along a cap on the dam at Panguitch Lake put the structure at risk and repairing or replacing the dam became a top priority. Ultimately, it was decided a new dam needed to be built and construction is planned for the fall of 2025. Construction of a new dam would be an ideal time to add a hypolimnetic drain to help with the nutrient loading issue. Attempting to retrofit a new dam with a hypolimnetic drain would likely be prohibitively costly.
LOCATION: Justify the proposed location of this project over other areas, include publicly scrutinized planning/recovery documents that list this area as a priority, remote sensing modeling that show this area is a good candidate for restoration, wildlife migration information and other data that help justify this project's location.
TIMING: Justify why this project should be implemented at this time. For example, Is the project area at risk of crossing an ecological or other threshold wherein future restoration would become more difficult, cost prohibitive, or even impossible.
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Relation to Management Plans
Panguitch Lake has a
List management plans where this project will address an objective or strategy in the plan. Describe how the project area overlaps the objective or strategy in the plan and the relevance of the project to the successful implementation of those plans. It is best to provide this information in a list format with the description immediately following the plan objective or strategy.
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Fire/Fuels
If applicable, detail how the proposed project will significantly reduce the risk of fuel loading and/or continuity of hazardous fuels including the use of fire-wise species in re-seeding operations. Describe the value of any features being protected by reducing the risk of fire. Values may include; communities at risk, permanent infrastructure, municipal watersheds, campgrounds, critical wildlife habitat, etc. Include the size of the area where fuels are being reduced and the distance from the feature(s) at risk.
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Water Quality/Quantity
Describe how the project has the potential to improve water quality and/or increase water quantity, both over the short and long term. Address run-off, erosion, soil infiltration, and flooding, if applicable.
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Compliance
Description of efforts, both completed and planned, to bring the proposed action into compliance with any and all cultural resource, NEPA, ESA, etc. requirements. If compliance is not required enter "not applicable" and explain why not it is not required.
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Methods
Describe the actions, activities, tasks to be implemented as part of the proposed project; how these activities will be carried out, equipment to be used, when, and by whom.
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Monitoring
Describe plans to monitor for project success and achievement of stated objectives. Include details on type of monitoring (vegetation, wildlife, etc.), schedule, assignments and how the results of these monitoring efforts will be reported and/or uploaded to this project page. If needed, upload detailed plans in the "attachments" section.
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Partners
List any and all partners (agencies, organizations, NGO's, private landowners) that support the proposal and/or have been contacted and included in the planning and design of the proposed project. Describe efforts to gather input and include these agencies, landowners, permitees, sportsman groups, researchers, etc. that may be interested/affected by the proposed project. Partners do not have to provide funding or in-kind services to a project to be listed.
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Future Management
Detail future methods or techniques (including administrative actions) that will be implemented to help in accomplishing the stated objectives and to insure the long term success/stability of the proposed project. This may include: post-treatment grazing rest and/or management plans/changes, wildlife herd/species management plan changes, ranch plans, conservation easements or other permanent protection plans, resource management plans, forest plans, etc.
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Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources
Potential for the proposed action to improve quality or quantity of sustainable uses such as grazing, timber harvest, biomass utilization, recreation, etc. Grazing improvements may include actions to improve forage availability and/or distribution of livestock.
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