# Virgin River Gorge new Fish Dam



## pinetree (Mar 20, 2008)

The endangered fish folks in Washington County, UT have constructed a 6-ft high, river-wide fish barrier dam in the lower Virgin Rver Gorge, west of the I-15 Cedar Pockets Rest Area in Ariaona.

The dam is about 200 yards downstream of the second highway bridge west of the rest area, where the river bends around a rock outcrop, and is below what is known as Big Ten rapid. A warning sign is being installed upstream of the dam.

The dam will creates a definite obstacle to boaters in the gorge. 

The left bank upstream of the dam is drilled and blasted near-vertical limestone cliff. The right bank is grouted rip-rap slope. There are no eddies in the reach upstream of the dam. You may be able to stop upstream of the dam, but it looks you might just have to run it. At 1000 cfs, long-time Virgin River runner Mark Wilder reported it looked like the center of the flow flushed through with a 2-foot velocity-head hump. Thanks to Mark for making a run down into the Gorge to get these photos during this week's high water.

The run can be scouted from a large gravelled area on the right side of northbound I-15, just upstream of a shed with an antenna, and at the new chainlink fence and gate.


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## mania (Oct 21, 2003)

utah is getting worse and worse. wtf?!


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## storm11 (Feb 10, 2006)

Don't lie Dana. I know you want to rush down there and get the "first d".


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## rm&p (Mar 24, 2007)

Yeah f'in Mormons, the audacity. Now they're inconveniencing us boaters in an attempt to save some stupid endangered fish. Don't they realize that people could be kilt all for some stupid fish that prolly should be extinct anyways? Maybe they should defer to you Coloradyins or wait you transplants that now live in Colorady for good river management advice!


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## yak1 (Jan 28, 2006)

has any one checked with the army corp. of engineers and see if all the proper paper work has been files???? If not it may be grounds to have the damn removed or modified. I've never been through there when there's been enough water to boat.


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## Ron (Apr 21, 2004)

Sorry to disappoint yer complaining about Utah, but the Virgin River Gorge is in Arizona.


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## Cutch (Nov 4, 2003)

Ron said:


> Sorry to disappoint yer complaining about Utah, but the Virgin River Gorge is in Arizona.


The point about Utah sucking was in reference to the fact that now Virgin River has been practically banned to boaters in Zion, Timpoweap has already had a huge dam project built that has made for interesting access, and now even the beginner run (that happens to be in AZ just barely) is getting jacked up to. Good thing we have local boaters from Monroe that can keep those runs open and clean, and keep us posted with great geographic beta.


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