WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
SILT BUILDUP BEHIND THE SHEM DAM
on the Santa Clara River/Creek
HISTORY
Silt buildup behind any dam is a major problem. The area immediately above a dam, where the natural flow ofthe river is slowed by the dam is where most of the debris and silt carried by the river settles out.
The area immediately upstream of the Shem Dam was long ago filled with silt and is level with the intact crest
of the spillway to this day.
There was an attempt in 1941 to flush some of this silt from the reservoir behind the Shem Dam,
as shown in the photographs below. But any results were short-lived and futile.
PHOTOS
WCHS-03922 The Shem Dam in 1941 with silt accumulated above the dam as high as the spillway
Other WCHS photos:
WCHS-03923 Photo of the Shem Dam in 1941 with silt accumulated above the dam as high as the spillway
WCHS-03924 Photo of people in 1941 attempting to flush silt from the Shem Dam reservoir
WCHS-03925 Photo of people in 1941 attempting to flush silt from the Shem Dam reservoir
WCHS-03926 Photo of people in 1941 attempting to flush silt from the Shem Dam reservoir
WCHS-03927 Photo of people in 1941 attempting to flush silt from the Shem Dam reservoir
WCHS-03928 Photo of people in 1941 attempting to flush silt from the Shem Dam reservoir
REFERENCES
Historic American Engineering Record, Shem Dam (Winsor Dam), HAER No. UT-96Prepared by Scott O'Mack, William Self Associates, Inc.,
for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
March 2016, 96 Pages (see pp. 30, 33)
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