East Canyon Reservoir Water Level
East Canyon Reservoir is at 5,662.68 ft today (Oct 30), 42.32 ft below its 5,705 ft full pool, up 0.53 ft this week.
Utah · East Canyon Creek
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Water level history
About East Canyon Reservoir
East Canyon Reservoir is a reservoir on the East Canyon Creek in Utah, operated by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Its full summer pool sits at 5705 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding East Canyon Reservoir's water level
East Canyon Reservoir is irrigation storage that predates the federal project now attached to it. The Davis and Weber Counties Canal Company built an earthen dam on East Canyon Creek in the late 1800s to hold water for farms in Davis and Weber Counties, raised it twice, and in 1915 and 1916 replaced it with a concrete dam that roughly doubled storage to about 28,000 acre-feet. Between 1964 and 1966 the Bureau of Reclamation built the present dam immediately downstream of the 1916 structure as part of the Weber Basin Project, lifting capacity to 51,200 acre-feet. It is a concrete thin arch 260 feet high and 436 feet long at the crest, only 7 feet thick at the top and 20 at the base, set in a narrow canyon of hard conglomerate about ten miles southeast of Morgan. Under the agreement that built it, the canal company still operates and maintains the dam, and the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District pays its share of the costs.
The level follows the irrigation calendar. Snowmelt from a 145 square mile drainage fills the lake in May and June, and from then until the end of the season water is released down East Canyon Creek to the Weber River, where the Davis and Weber Counties Canal diverts in lower Weber Canyon and carries it some 23 miles south through South Weber, Roy, Clearfield, Layton and Kaysville to Fruit Heights. Full pool is 5,705 feet, the top of the joint use pool. Since 1990 the lake has typically peaked within a foot or so of that mark and bottomed out in October near 5,662 feet, so a drop of roughly 40 feet by fall is ordinary, not a sign of trouble. The trouble comes when winter snow cannot put it back. From 2013 through 2016 the reservoir never rose above 5,688.1 feet, and in 2021 and 2022 it again topped out well short of full.
Utah State Parks has run East Canyon State Park on the shoreline since 1967, with the Dixie Creek and Big Rock campgrounds, a marina and one main boat ramp. The canyon is older history than the dams: the Donner Reed party cut a wagon road through it in 1846, and Brigham Young's first pioneer company followed the same route to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, by way of Mormon Flats and over Big Mountain. Rainbow trout are the backbone of the fishery and made up 62 percent of the catch by number in Division of Wildlife Resources gill nets in 2023, averaging a little over 15 inches. Wipers were introduced in 2014 to control Utah suckers and appear to be doing it. Smallmouth bass are abundant but stunted, and biologists ask anglers to keep them. Brown trout, cutthroat trout and black crappie are also present, while a kokanee program has yet to produce natural spawning.
East Canyon Reservoir — frequently asked
What is East Canyon Reservoir's full pool elevation?
5,705 feet above sea level, which Reclamation lists as the top of the joint use pool. At that level the reservoir holds 51,200 acre-feet and covers about 684 acres. The dam crest and the maximum water surface are both at 5,715 feet, and the inactive pool tops out at 5,577 feet, so the usable water sits in the upper 128 feet of the lake.
What is the record high level at East Canyon Reservoir?
5,707.5 feet on 31 May 1983, two and a half feet above full pool and still nearly eight feet below the dam crest. Reclamation's records put storage that day at 51,230 acre-feet. The lake came close again in June 1984 at 5,706.8 feet. In most wet years since, the peak has landed between 5,705 and 5,706.4 feet in late May or June.
What is the lowest East Canyon Reservoir has been?
In Reclamation's record, which starts in 1969, the low mark is 5,642.5 feet at the end of September 1977, a monthly reading from the 1977 drought. The lowest daily reading came on 15 October 1992 at 5,643.2 feet, about 62 feet below full pool, when storage fell to roughly 17,450 acre-feet, about a third of capacity. The fall of 2013 nearly matched it at 5,645.2 feet. The Recent low shown in the gauge panel, 5,653.44 feet in 2021, reflects only the past few years of data, which is why it sits above these marks.
Why is East Canyon Reservoir so low in the fall?
It is drained on purpose every summer. The water is stored for irrigation and released down East Canyon Creek to the Weber River for the Davis and Weber Counties Canal and Weber Basin Project users. Since 1990 the typical October low has been near 5,662 feet, about 43 feet below full. A fall low only becomes a concern when the following spring's runoff is too small to refill the lake.
How low did East Canyon get in the 2021 drought, and did it refill?
It peaked at only 5,685.7 feet in May 2021 and fell to 5,653.4 feet on 20 September, about 52 feet below full, with roughly 21,450 acre-feet in storage. The 2022 peak was just 5,688.1 feet. The big 2023 snowpack fixed it: the lake rose from 5,658.3 feet on 11 April to 5,705.9 feet on 16 June, more than 47 feet in about nine weeks.
Who operates East Canyon Dam?
The Davis and Weber Counties Canal Company, a private nonprofit founded in 1884 that built the first two dams. Reclamation built the current dam in 1964 to 1966 by agreement with the canal company and the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. Under that agreement the canal company operates and maintains the facilities and the district pays its share of operation, maintenance and repair costs.
What fish are in East Canyon Reservoir?
Rainbow trout dominate. In 2023 state biologists caught an average of 11.6 per net night, mostly in the top 20 feet of water. Wipers, stocked since 2014 to control Utah suckers, averaged about 18 inches, and the state plans to cut their stocking rate. Smallmouth bass are numerous but stunted, with only 17 percent reaching quality length, so harvest is encouraged. Brown trout, cutthroat trout and black crappie are also present.
Other lakes near East Canyon Reservoir
- Echo ReservoirUT
- Starvation ReservoirUT
- Flaming Gorge ReservoirUT/WY
- Rockport ReservoirUT
- Jordanelle ReservoirUT
- Red Fleet ReservoirUT
See current levels for all 10 Utah lakes and reservoirs →
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