- Skip to Primary Navigation
      - Skip to Main Content
      - Skip to Footer

          -   
          -   
          -   
          -   
          -   
          -   
          -   

        -  Water & Power            - Dams
          - Powerplants
          - Projects
          - Agrimet/Hydromet
          - Water Operations 
        -  Resources & Research            - Programs
          - Technical Service Center
          - Research & Development
          - Reclamation Manual
          - Environmental Resources/Reports
          - Library 
        -  About Us            - Mission
          - Fact Sheet
          - Commissioner
          - Addresses/Contacts
          - Organizational Chart
          - Leadership Bios
          - Employment
          - Contact 
        -  Recreation & Public Use            - Find Recreation
          - Recreation.gov
          - Public Use 
        -  News & Multimedia            - News Releases
          - News Stories
          - Speeches
          - Congressional Testimony
          - Fact Sheets
          - Photos
          - Multimedia
          - Social Media 

# Interior Region 7 • Upper Colorado Basin

Encompassing all or parts of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Wyoming

              - Reclamation
              - Upper Colorado Basin
              -  Provo Area Office 
              -  Scofield Dam and Reservoir Lands

Upper Colorado Basin              - Upper Colorado News
              - About Us
              - Area Offices
              - Provo Area Office                  - Scofield Reservoir Lands
                - Synderville Basin Water Supply Study
                - Environmental Culture Compliance
              - Programs & Activities
              - Document Library
              - Environmental Documents
              - Water Operations

Scofield Dam and Reservoir Lands

----

**Court Documents**
                - Summary Judgment  - 2005, US District Court 
                - Findings of Fact  - 2007, US District Court 
                - Judgment of Remand  - March 2009, US Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
                - Amended Judgment  - June 2009, US District Court 

**Maps**
                - Central Utah Map
                - Scofield Reservoir Boundary Google Map
                - Scofield Reservoir Boundary Quad Map

**Other Information**
                - Public Meeting Powerpoint  Presentation
                - Timeline of Events

**Overview**

  The Bureau of Reclamation’s Scofield Project came about to  replace various private dams built in the early 1900’s by local water user  organizations, and which later failed. The current Scofield Dam and Reservoir  replaced the original Scofield Dam and Reservoir built by the Price River Water  Conservation District in 1925-1926, which partially failed in May 1928.

Scofield Dam and Reservoir are located on the Price River  in Carbon County, Utah,  85 miles south of Salt Lake City.  Scofield Dam was authorized by the president in 1943 to provide irrigation and  municipal and industrial water, as well as flood control and recreation  benefits to Carbon   County. Construction of  the dam took place between 1943 and 1946.

Prior to the dam’s construction, the Price Water  Conservation District acquired lands in the reservoir basin to ensure the  ability to impound water over these lands. Once the project was authorized, the  district conveyed these lands to Reclamation. In addition, Reclamation acquired  other parcels of land in 1944 from private land owners to accommodate the  reservoir. Some of the *former* owners  of these lands retained a “right to use” some Reclamation land below a certain  surveyed elevation, in ways “not inconsistent with the storage and flowage of  water.” 

There is some confusion about the identification of the surveyed elevation which  serves as the upper boundary for portions of Reclamation’s land ownership.  Surveys completed in the 1920’s, identified the control elevation as being 7630 feet  above sea level. While the location of the survey line has not changed, over the years, improvements in surveying have increased  the accuracy with which the established line is measured above sea level. Accordingly, the U.S. Geological Survey has corrected how far above sea level the survey line happens to be, but the location of the line on the land has not changed. The survey line is now  referred to as elevation 7638.9. 

A complex situation currently exists with respect to ownership and right to use the land around Scofield Reservoir. Several historical factors led to the current discrepancy between local residents and Reclamation. First, there are conflicting deeds in county records after the recorded deeds which conveyed title to the Scofield lands to Reclamation. Second, lands were sold or conveyed to private owners based on insufficient title history information. Third, after-acquired-title for a significant land parcel passed to the U.S. in 1944, and the former land owner later gave quit-claim deeds to others which conflicted with the U.S. title. 

In 1998, Reclamation filed a quiet title action in federal  district court in response to the construction of a home on its land southwest  of the dam. Ultimately, the Tenth Circuit Court ruled on behalf of Reclamation,  affirming that Reclamation owned the land in fee and ruling that there was not  a right to use on the property. The District Court subsequently issued an  amended judgment affirming the Tenth Circuit ruling. 

Today, there are also two subdivisions and a number of  temporary and permanent structures including homes, cabins, house trailers,  modular homes, sheds, boat docks, and boat ramps have been built on lands  within the flood surcharge pool on lands to which Reclamation holds title.

Reclamation’s primary concern about clarifying title to the  land, and about the structures that have been built on this land, is the  ability to operate the reservoir under flood conditions to ensure the safety  and structural integrity of the dam. A rare flood event could compromise the  dam’s spillway causing the dam to overflow and potentially causing failure of  the dam if debris from structures entered the spillway. This failure scenario  would seriously jeopardize the downstream communities of Helper and Price, Utah. 

Reclamation conducted a public meeting was held on September  3, 2009, at the Carbon County Events Center to share information, hear  concerns, and solicit local representatives to serve on a cooperative committee  to continue discussions and help identify potential alternatives to resolve the  situation. 

For more information, please contact:       Lands Group Chief       Provo Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation       302 East 1860 South       Provo, Utah 84606-7317       (801) 379-1000

*Last Updated: 2/14/23*

## More Information about the Bureau of Reclamation

## Stay in Touch

            -   
            -   
            -   
            -   
            -   
            -   
            -   

            - Contact Us
            - Site Index
            - Accessibility
            - Disclaimer
            - DOI
            - FOIA
            - No Fear Act
            - Notices
            - Privacy Policy
            - Quality of Information
            - Recreation.gov
            - USA.gov