Reclamation geologists and drill crews will begin conducting a field exploration program this month at Huntington North Dam, located in Emery County, UT, to evaluate the dam's foundation for seismic stability. Evaluations such as this one are regularly conducted at all Reclamation dams as part of the Safety of Dams Program to ensure early detection of safety deficiencies and implementation of corrective actions if necessary.

Huntington North Dam is an earthfill dam with a foundation consisting of clay, silt, sand and gravel. Samples of the foundation materials will be taken for evaluation of the potential for liquefaction during a seismic event. Liquefaction occurs during an earthquake when the packed foundation materials act like liquid and lose their supporting strength, compromising the structural integrity of the dam. The results of the field investigation, which is expected to continue through the spring, will be evaluated to determine if seismic retrofit corrective work is required.

Huntington North Dam, a feature of the Emery County Project, was constructed between 1965-1966. Water stored in the reservoir is delivered to the Huntington-Cleveland Irrigation Company's pipelines and laterals. The pipelines were recently installed as part of Reclamation’s Huntington-Cleveland Salinity Control Project.