LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Officials in Lincoln County are closely watching the situation at and south of the Echo Canyon Reservoir and Eagle Valley Reservoir, northeast of Panaca. Some people have been advised to leave their homes because of flooding around the area of the dams and two state parks.
Thanks to heavy rain earlier this week, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and other county officials said Echo Dam, located at the Echo Canyon State Park and home of the Echo Canyon Reservoir, is holding as of Friday morning and the water level has actually dropped a little.
The east side of Ursine is cut off due to erosion of the roads and access by the fire station, resort road, and Rose Valley road are restricted. (Image: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office) 
The east side of Ursine is cut off due to erosion of the roads and access by the fire station, resort road, and Rose Valley road are restricted. (Image: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office) 
The east side of Ursine is cut off due to erosion of the roads and access by the fire station, resort road, and Rose Valley road are restricted. (Image: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office)
Many local roads are either flooded or damaged because of flooding including SR 322 between Eagle Valley Resort and Spring Valley State Park, according to the Lincoln County Record.
On its Facebook page Thursday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Office said, “If an evacuation is necessary, the residents that will need to evacuate will be notified via reverse 911 and it will be posted on social media.”
Echo Canyon Reservoir was constructed in 1969 in the Meadow Valley Wash, approximately 10 miles downstream from Eagle Valley Reservoir.
ndow.org
Lincoln County Sheriff Derek Foremaster told 8 News Now that if more rain and snow move into the area over the next week the situation at the Eagle Valley Reservoir could become more serious.
The sheriff’s office shared on Facebook that “there was a meeting this morning between LC Emergency Management, FEMA, LCSO, and many other county entities to discuss the ongoing situation with Echo Dam and the flooding. The water levels have subsided, and a State Parks engineer stated that at this time the Dam seems to be holding up well. There will be a couple of good days of weather; however, there are expectations of more moisture as the storms start rolling at the beginning of next week.”
- SR 319 still has road closed signs per NDOT but there is no water on the roadway and is passable. SR 319 is still considered travel at your own risk.
- SR 317 just pass Kershaw Ryan is still flooded and impassable.
- Delmue Ranch Road is still highly damaged, and travel is not advised.
- SR 322 is open up to MM16-18 (just after Eagle Valley Resort)
- All access roads into Ursine have been wiped out.
- Both Echo and Spring Valley State Parks are closed and asking that the community doesn’t venture in as that could hinder repair operations.
The dams are not located along a river or creek, they are along the Meadow Valley Wash. Below the dams are farms, ranches and after about 10 miles the town of Panaca with a population of a little over 1,000. The area is extremely rural and mountainous with many canyons and washes.
Eagle Valley Reservoir was created in 1965 and is located within Spring Valley State Park. It occurs within the Colorado River watershed and the outflow, Meadow Valley Wash, enters the Muddy River and eventually into Lake Mead.
ndow.org
On Friday afternoon, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office announced in a Facebook post that Lincoln County Emergency Management sent a state structural engineer for dams to inspect the Echo Dam. The post said, “the dam is doing what it is supposed to and is showing no signs of breaking. The engineer is making his way up to Spring Valley to check the dam there and we will provide an update when we have one in that area.”
The Facebook post also said that as of Friday evening, the water has subsided and will continue to do so until the storms next week.
This is a developing story, and this page will be updated with new information as it becomes available.
