Living with low water at Big Horn Lake

Water in the West is a complex issue, affecting both upstream and downstream areas of our beloved Big Horn Lake. The lake levels are low, barely high enough to keep the courtesy dock in at Horseshoe Bend, which is 3,620 feet.

While we enjoy our recreation at Big Horn Lake that was an afterthought when the government decided to create a reservoir here, thus drowning the town of Kane. Originally, the purpose of Big Horn Lake was to store water. I often wonder why we call it Big Horn Lake and not Big Horn reservoir. Maybe it was to advertise to the area its great recreation possibility. 

We do have a major water problem throughout the West. The Colorado River is at its lowest, and there appears to be a struggle between drinking water for many states or southern California crops. Locally, this may play out between being able to launch a boat at Horseshoe Bend and irrigate. The Governor’s office recently released that a tentative agreement has been made for the Colorado River Basin area, however acknowledging that this “framework does not represent a final solution but enables the river to be managed in the short-term while the seven states and DOI continue to negotiate a consensus solution.”

We have to admit that we live in the high desert. If you’ve driven to Greybull, you see what the landscape looks like without water. However, pioneers built dams and dug canals so we can thrive in agriculture, which may not exist had they not. 

   A major concern for Big Horn Lake continues to be siltation. We often see it as we pass over the bridge to the east of town. The river looks red, dirty and muddy. Much of that silt ends up in the Big Horn Lake, reducing the amount of water the reservoir holds.

    As drought conditions continue to exist and the lack of water continues, we may face having to choose between agriculture and recreation. We may have to find more efficient ways to irrigate and may not be able to launch at Horseshoe Bend. Only time and climate will tell.

    For now, we have enough water to launch boats at Horseshoe Bend, and the marina will remain open until at least August 23. The marina operators have noticed a decrease in the amount of traffic but urge us to swim, kayak, paddleboard and utilize our lake as much as possible as the water is receding. While the big tour boat is not able to be in the water this year, the marina is still offering boat tours throughout the Big Horn Canyon on their pontoon boats. There is also live entertainment for the next three Fridays out at the marina at Horseshoe Bend.