Bear River: How’s it Flowing?

- Lake Level: 4198.1′ -
- 292 Miles Round-Trip -

A recent trip to Bear Lake — often called the Caribbean of the West — with my family made me wonder how it is all connected and where the water goes. Bear Lake was fuller than I had ever seen it and in places it looked as though the nice homes on the shoreline might opt to buy flood insurance. The tremendous spring rains the state has had this year brought several parts of this Lake and its wetlands back to life.

On the way into Montpelier, Idaho we drove across a bridge that spanned the Bear River. My Dad asked me why it was so small in comparison to the Bear River Canal. I didn’t know the answer. After all the Bear River is the single largest source of water flowing into Great Salt Lake and I had always assumed that Bear Lake was part of that river system. But is it?

I knew the Bear River Compact was originally created in 1958 to establish the framework for the waters of the Bear River and how they were divided between Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. This compact was later amended in 1980. Negotiations and distribution regarding the river have been long in the making and is still a controversial subject today. The Bear River is a unique waterway; it is the longest stream in the western hemisphere that does not empty into an ocean.

The river meanders a total of 500 miles beginning in the high Uinta Mountains of Utah, flows through Wyoming and Idaho and eventually reaches its final destination in Great Salt Lake which has been the river’s last stop for over 50,000 years.

Ironically, after traveling such a long distance, the river ends only about 90 miles from its source emptying into the Bear River Bay in Great Salt Lake. The Bear River and its tributaries represent approximately 62% of the 2 million total acre-feet of surface inflow water entering the Great Salt Lake, the fourth largest terminal lake in the world.

Bear Lake @ Sunset © Nicole Anderson

I hadn’t been to the Bear Lake Valley for years and its appearance looked vastly different yet vaguely familiar. It felt like home and without the taste of salt and the smell of the ocean it seemed much like Great Salt Lake. There were vast open spaces of land that sprawled across the valley floor with only the rare house or barn dotting the landscape. In addition to these private lands, the Bear River watershed includes both federal and state lands.

Just down the road from Montpelier is the Bear Lake Refuge. In the early days the land within the refuge was locally referred to as Dingle Marsh. Both Bear Lake and the marsh were once part of a larger prehistoric lake and as it drained and receded, Dingle Marsh was reduced from 25,000 acres to less than 17,000. It eventually became part of the refuge on the shores of Bear Lake.

After a wonderful weekend of birdwatching, local fairs, boating and having one of Bear Lake’s famous raspberry malts we began driving home to Salt Lake City. As we made our way through the red rocks and open flats of green grasses I kept thinking about the river and how it made its journey to Great Salt Lake.

I began to explain to my daughter and her friends that over time this natural wonder has been diverted to accommodate the irrigation and agricultural needs of people. Not too long into our car ride home the sound of my voice lulled them to sleep as if I were telling them a bedtime story. This isn’t your average bedtime story though; the continuous demand on the Bear River is more like a nightmare.

The regionally important, freshwater Bear Lake has a surface area of 110 square miles and a potential storage capacity of 1.42 million acre-feet of water reserves. But the Bear River didn’t actually flow into Bear Lake – prior to the 1900s the lake had been isolated for approximately 28,000 years. This resulted in a unique water chemistry and habitat for four species of fish found nowhere else in the world – second only to Russia’s Lake Baikal, the largest fresh water lake on Earth.

However, in the early 1900s the Bear Lake Project was started by the Telluride Power and Utah Sugar Companies, with a goal of reconnecting Bear River to Bear Lake and producing power along the way. In 1912 Utah Power and Light Company (UP&L) was organized and along with the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company they entered into an agreement in which the Sugar Company conveyed all of its property in the vicinity of the present Cutler Dam to UP&L. They finished the project in 1918.

In return for the land UP&L agreed to deliver a continuous flow of water for irrigation, municipal, and other purposes. UP&L knew that the natural flow of the Bear River would not meet this demand so they agreed to make up the difference with stored water.

UP&L also agreed to maintain and operate the dam and canals as well as the diverting works. Somewhat surprising is that the contract became effective in 1913 (five years before completion of the Bear Lake project.) During this period, Bear Lake was converted into a storage reservoir by construction of inlet and outlet canals and a pumping plant near the center of the north shore in a natural causeway that was built up by wave action.

The pumps lift water from the Lake into the outlet canal where it returns to Bear River at a point just west of Montpelier, Idaho. Bear Lake has been regulated ever since for downstream electrical power production and contracted irrigation.
Throughout time the demands of water along with irresponsible management has caused the Bear River to be diverted over and over. It powers six hydroelectric plants and supplies water for hundreds of irrigation companies. It does all this while at the same time it continues to provide countless opportunities for recreational activities.

Currently, several water districts are proposing to divert 220,000 acre-feet of Bear River water to Salt Lake, Weber and Davis Counties for municipal use. According to the State of Utah, Bear River Development would lower lake levels by 2 to 4 feet potentially drying up surrounding wetlands by reducing Bear River inflow by up to 20%.

The girls woke up as we were driving down Parley’s Canyon, entering the Salt Lake Valley. They asked me if there had always been so many houses and lights across the valley. I said No, it hasn’t always been like this. The valley has changed even in my lifetime. How will it change during theirs? The choice is up to all of us and the decisions we make regarding water consumption and conservation. I guess only time will tell.

Visit: Bear Lake is 145 miles northeast of Salt Lake City. For additional information please contact the Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge or the visitors center.