The Bureau of Reclamation will be conducting a field exploration program at Wanship Dam under the authority of the Safety of Dams Act of 1978. This program ensures that all Reclamation's dams receive periodic examinations and evaluations to ensure early detection of any potential dam safety problems. Data gained from this exploration program will be used to provide better input to risk assessments and performance parameters for the dam.

Reclamation announced today that drill crews and geologists affiliated with the agency will drill several test holes in Wanship Dam during the week of August 21, 2007. In preparation for the activities, crews have set up equipment for the investigations this week. The work is being conducted in cooperation with the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, and is anticipated to be finished in several weeks. Additional explorations may be required depending on the results of the initial investigations of the foundation, which consists of clay, silt, sand and gravel.

The purpose of the investigations is to evaluate the potential for liquefaction of foundation alluvial materials during an earthquake. Liquefaction is the changing of loosely packed, saturated sediment from a solid into a liquid state. An earthquake of sufficient magnitude could cause liquefaction, compromising the integrity of the dam.

Wanship Dam is located in Summit County, Utah, on the Weber River. The dam provides storage for irrigation water and year-round power generation. The dam, completed in 1957, as part of the Weber Basin Project, is a zoned earth-fill dam. It is 175 feet high and 2015 feet long and impounds a reservoir of 62,120 acre-feet.