Echo Reservoir Water Level
Echo Reservoir is at 5,517.03 ft today (Oct 30), 42.97 ft below its 5,560 ft full pool, up 1.20 ft this week.
Utah · Weber River
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Water level history
About Echo Reservoir
Echo Reservoir is a reservoir on the Weber River in Utah, operated by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Its full summer pool sits at 5560 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Echo Reservoir's water level
Echo Reservoir is an irrigation bank account, and its level reads like one. Reclamation built Echo Dam on the Weber River between November 1927 and December 1931 as the centerpiece of the Weber River Project, which supplies supplemental water to roughly 109,000 acres between the Great Salt Lake and the Wasatch Mountains. Irrigators along the Weber had been diverting since about 1850, but late summer flows fully covered only about 3,000 acres, so Echo was built to catch spring runoff from 836 square miles of drainage and pay it back out in July and August. The Weber River Water Users Association operates the dam and releases water as irrigators call for it, and that water reaches farms through roughly 50 privately owned ditch and canal systems that divert from the river downstream. The result is a predictable cycle: the reservoir climbs through spring snowmelt toward full pool at 5,560 feet, then drops steadily through summer, sometimes several percent a week.
The dam is a zoned earthfill embankment 158 feet high and 1,887 feet long, sitting about a mile upstream of the town of Echo and six miles north of Coalville, at the junction of Interstates 80 and 84. Building it meant relocating stretches of Union Pacific branch line and the Lincoln Highway. Full pool, 5,560 feet, is the top of active conservation storage, and the reservoir holds about 74,000 acre-feet over 1,484 acres there, with a maximum depth near 102 feet. The spillway crest is at 5,543 feet, and four radial gates, each 18 by 17 feet, control the top 17 feet of storage; the spillway is rated at 15,000 cubic feet per second. Reclamation found that parts of the foundation under the dam and spillway could liquefy in a strong earthquake, and under its Safety of Dams program it carried out a seismic retrofit beginning in 2010, including an $18.4 million excavation contract in 2011 and a $9.1 million spillway rebuild in 2012.
Low water at Echo is mostly a summer story, and in drought years it arrives early. On a typical year the state park loses boat ramp water in late summer; in 2020 that happened in mid August. In 2021 the reservoir was at 44 percent in late May, docks were never installed, and by early July it was near 30 percent and falling about 3 percent a week, leaving a drop at the ramp's end big enough to damage axles. The park used that year to rebuild, lengthening the ramp so boats can launch below 30 percent. Two big snow years followed: in June 2023 Echo filled and water went over the spillway, and in June 2024 it reached 101 percent. Water quality is the other long running issue. Utah approved dissolved oxygen TMDLs for Echo and Rockport in 2014 after finding oxygen too low for a coldwater fishery, driven by phosphorus and nitrogen that feed algae. Utah DWR points anglers to rainbow trout, yellow perch and walleye.
Echo Reservoir — frequently asked
What is Echo Reservoir's full pool elevation?
5,560 feet, the top of active conservation storage according to Reclamation. At that level the reservoir holds about 74,000 acre-feet across 1,484 acres. The dam crest is 10 feet higher, at 5,570 feet. The fixed spillway crest sits at 5,543 feet, so the top 17 feet of storage is held behind four radial gates, and when those are opened at full pool, water goes over the spillway into the Weber River.
Why is Echo Reservoir so low in late summer?
Echo exists to store spring runoff for irrigation, and the Weber River Water Users Association releases it as downstream irrigators call for water. Those releases peak in July and August, when natural river flow is lowest. In 2021, a drought year, the reservoir fell from 44 percent in late May to about 30 percent by early July, losing roughly 3 percent a week. A late summer drawdown is normal; a deep one in June signals a poor snowpack.
When does Echo Reservoir fill?
It refills from snowmelt off the 836 square mile drainage above the dam, usually peaking in late spring or early summer. After the 2021 and 2022 drought, it filled in mid June 2023, and operators opened gates and passed water over the spillway. In June 2024 it again reached 101 percent with the spillway running, about 14 percent above its median for that date.
Can I launch a boat at Echo when the water is low?
Below about 30 percent, launching has historically been difficult or impossible. In 2021 the park closed its ramp in early July because the gap between the end of the concrete and the water could damage vehicle axles. During the rebuild that followed, the ramp was lengthened to reach below 30 percent. At low water the park has allowed smaller craft such as fishing boats, kayaks and personal watercraft to launch at the owner's risk.
Who operates Echo Dam?
Reclamation owns Echo Dam through its Provo Area Office, and the Weber River Water Users Association operates and maintains it. The Weber Basin Water Conservancy District is a stockholder in the reservoir. Utah State Parks manages recreation under a 2017 agreement with Reclamation, which made Echo one of the newest parks in the state system. A 4.5 megawatt hydropower plant below the dam was built in 1987 by Bountiful Power and Light under a FERC permit.
Was Echo Dam retrofitted for earthquakes?
Yes. A Reclamation risk analysis, reviewed by an independent consulting board, found that foundation soils under the dam and spillway could liquefy and deform in a large earthquake. Work began in 2010 with dewatering wells downstream of the dam, followed by an $18.4 million excavation contract in 2011 and a $9.1 million contract in 2012 that replaced the spillway crest structure, jet grouted beneath it and refurbished the four radial gates.
What fish are in Echo Reservoir and is the water quality a concern?
Utah DWR highlights rainbow trout, yellow perch and walleye, and recommends worms or PowerBait under a bobber for shore anglers. Water quality is a known issue: the state found dissolved oxygen too low for a coldwater fishery, caused by phosphorus and nitrogen from wastewater and land runoff that feed algae. Utah adopted dissolved oxygen TMDLs for Echo and Rockport in 2014, including treatment upgrades at Silver Creek and Coalville.
Other lakes near Echo Reservoir
- Flaming Gorge ReservoirUT/WY
- East Canyon ReservoirUT
- Jordanelle ReservoirUT
- Starvation ReservoirUT
- Lost Creek ReservoirUT
- Rockport ReservoirUT
See current levels for all 10 Utah lakes and reservoirs →
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