A reservoir needed in Box Elder?

PORTAGE, Box Elder County — Whether it's mosquitoes or tourists, residents of this tiny town fear that a proposed reservoir nearby would bring both kinds of pests.

The town of 257 people just three miles south of the Idaho border has no services, few businesses and lots of agricultural space. In almost every way, it's the same town that 81-year-old Elma Bell grew up in, and it's the town she hopes to see for her whole life.

"I like Portage the way it is. We've had only a few new people, and I like them," she said. "But when you think about a new lake, about taking land and bringing in a lot of new people. . . . I don't like it."

The proposed Washakie Reservoir would be fed with water pumped in from the nearby Bear River, and it would only flood farmland that is "marginable," said Larry Anderson, director of the Division of Water Resources. While it probably would not be needed for at least a couple of decades, funding may be requested from the Legislature so land and right-of-ways can be acquired.

To encourage that funding, a few dozen legislators got a first-hand look Monday at the proposed site and a presentation on the need for the reservoir as part of their two-day Northern Utah trip. It was also discussed during a visit to Hyrum State Park and during a luncheon in Brigham City.

The Washakie Reservoir would require the building of three 66-foot dikes just southwest of Portage and would cost an estimated $217 million, Anderson said. Since other projects that would dam the Bear River, especially the Honeyville Dam, have been shelved because of environmental concerns and local impacts, Washakie is now the only viable proposal to quench the growing thirst of the Wasatch Front.

"The demands won't be great enough to need it until" 2030 or later, he said. "But the pressure will always be on to develop that reservoir."

Whether the pitch worked is questionable, however, since some legislators seemed skeptical about funding for the project. Some also questioned the decision to remove the Honeyville site from consideration.

"If they're looking for money, it could be tough," said Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, after visiting the site. "I know they wanted to sell us on Washakie, but I think they did a better job with Honeyville."

House Minority Whip Pat Jones, D-Salt Lake, who didn't visit the site but has researched the proposal, said she would want input from local leaders and impacted farmers before she could support funding.