Little Dell Reservoir
Encyclopedia
Little Dell Reservoir is a reservoir
in eastern Salt Lake County
, Utah
, USA, about 13 miles east of Salt Lake City in the western Wasatch Mountains. It is located alongside Utah State Route 65
, about 1 mile northeast of Interstate 80
. Little Dell is an impoundment on Dell Creek, but it also stores water diverted from Parleys Creek located immediately downstream. The reservoir was constructed between 1987 and 1993 for drinking water supply and flood control as a joint venture between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County. The total cost of the project was US$63,864,932.00. The reservoir and recreation area is operated and maintained by the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities.
Construction of a storage facility on Dell Creek in Parleys Canyon, Salt Lake County, Utah was first considered in the late 1940s when Dr. Ray E. Marsell, geologist consultant for the Utah Water and Power Board, recommended the project to the Salt Lake City Commission. Interest in the project was rekindled in 1983 when 1300 South, Salt Lake City was flooded for the second time in 31 years.
The Little Dell Reservoir dam is a rolled earthfill structure. It has a maximum height of 224 feet above the streambed and is 1,700 feet in length.
The recreation area at Little Dell is located near the site of a historic Pony Express
station run by Utah pioneer Ephraim Hanks
in the mid-19th century. Known as Little Dell Station, it was situated about 1000 feet northeast of the northernmost tip of the reservoir. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1971. None of the original structure remains.
Unlike nearby Mountain Dell Reservoir, fishing is currently allowed in Little Dell Reservoir. Little Dell contains Brook trout
, Brown trout
, and native Bonneville cutthroat trout
. Special fishing regulations exist to protect the latter species. Access to the reservoir is only allowed through the recreation area. Because Little Dell is a watershed, there is no swimming, bathing or washing allowed within the reservoir. Motorized boats are also not permitted.
Little Dell Reservoir can be best viewed from Little Mountain Pass, located at the top of Emigration Canyon
.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in eastern Salt Lake County
Salt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It had a population of 1,029,655 at the 2010 census. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. It occupies Salt Lake Valley, as well as parts of the surrounding mountains, the Oquirrh Mountains to the west...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA, about 13 miles east of Salt Lake City in the western Wasatch Mountains. It is located alongside Utah State Route 65
Utah State Route 65
State Route 65 is a highway in northern Utah connecting I-80 near the Mountain Dell Dam to I-84 in Henefer.-Route description:From its southern terminus east of Salt Lake City and west of Park City, the highway goes north, crossing the Mountain Dell Golf Course. It partially circumnavigates the...
, about 1 mile northeast of Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
. Little Dell is an impoundment on Dell Creek, but it also stores water diverted from Parleys Creek located immediately downstream. The reservoir was constructed between 1987 and 1993 for drinking water supply and flood control as a joint venture between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County. The total cost of the project was US$63,864,932.00. The reservoir and recreation area is operated and maintained by the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities.
Construction of a storage facility on Dell Creek in Parleys Canyon, Salt Lake County, Utah was first considered in the late 1940s when Dr. Ray E. Marsell, geologist consultant for the Utah Water and Power Board, recommended the project to the Salt Lake City Commission. Interest in the project was rekindled in 1983 when 1300 South, Salt Lake City was flooded for the second time in 31 years.
The Little Dell Reservoir dam is a rolled earthfill structure. It has a maximum height of 224 feet above the streambed and is 1,700 feet in length.
The recreation area at Little Dell is located near the site of a historic Pony Express
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
station run by Utah pioneer Ephraim Hanks
Ephraim Hanks
Ephraim Knowlton Hanks was a prominent member of the 19th-Century Latter Day Saint movement, a Mormon pioneer and a well known leader in the early settlement of Utah....
in the mid-19th century. Known as Little Dell Station, it was situated about 1000 feet northeast of the northernmost tip of the reservoir. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1971. None of the original structure remains.
Unlike nearby Mountain Dell Reservoir, fishing is currently allowed in Little Dell Reservoir. Little Dell contains Brook trout
Brook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
, Brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
, and native Bonneville cutthroat trout
Bonneville cutthroat trout
The Bonneville cutthroat trout is a subspecies of cutthroat trout native to tributaries of the Great Salt Lake, U.S.A. Most of the fish's current and historic range is in Utah, but they are also found in Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada...
. Special fishing regulations exist to protect the latter species. Access to the reservoir is only allowed through the recreation area. Because Little Dell is a watershed, there is no swimming, bathing or washing allowed within the reservoir. Motorized boats are also not permitted.
Little Dell Reservoir can be best viewed from Little Mountain Pass, located at the top of Emigration Canyon
Emigration Canyon
Emigration Canyon is a CDP, township and canyon in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, located east of Salt Lake City in the Wasatch Range. Beginning at the southern end of the University of Utah, the canyon itself heads east and northeast between Salt Lake City and Morgan County. The boundaries...
.