Funding was approved Wednesday for further study into the possibility of raising Hyrum Dam and enlarging Hyrum Reservoir.
The Utah Legislature's Energy, Natural Resources and Agriculture Interim Committee approved a $250,000 request from Utah Division of Water Resources Director Larry Anderson for studies related to the enlarged Hyrum project, said panel member Rep. Steve Bodily, R-Lewiston.Previous studies haven't shown any major problems, Bodily said, adding that while construction is still years away - if it's done at all - an enlarged Hyrum Reservoir so far appears to be the most favored site for new water development in the lower Bear River basin.
The 1991 Legislature allocated $2 million into a larger Bear River Development Account.
Of that sum, roughly $775,000 has been spent on other studies related to proposed water development on the Bear and its trib-utaries.
The Blacksmith Fork River is being considered as a water source for an enlarged Hyrum Reservoir.
Preliminary plans call for that water to be diverted to Hyrum.