The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), in cooperation with the Central Utah Water Conservancy District (CUWCD), will be conducting a routine field exploration program at Starvation Dam under the authority of the Safety of Dams Act of 1978. This program ensures that all Reclamation dams receive periodic examinations and evaluations, thus allowing the early detection of any potential dam safety problems. The results of the exploration program will be analyzed to evaluate the performance of the dam to insure the safety of the public downstream.

Reclamation drill crews and geologists will begin and complete the exploration program in summer 2009. The drilling program will be on the downstream side of the dam and will check the performance of the embankment and foundation of the dam. The drilling program will have no effect on the water being stored in the reservoir or with recreational and fishing activities.

Starvation Dam was constructed between 1967 and 1970 on the Strawberry River in the Unita Basin. The dam is three miles northwest of Duchesne, Utah, in Duchesne County. The dam provides water storage for agricultural, municipal, industrial, and recreational purposes. The dam is part of the Central Utah Project (CUP), and is a zoned earthfill structure with a height of 200 feet. The dam crest length is 3,070 feet and impounds a reservoir of 167,310 acre-feet. Water stored in Starvation Reservoir includes runoff from the Strawberry River below Soldier Creek Dam and excess runoff from the Duchesne River, which is diverted by the Knight Diversion Dam and conveyed to the Starvation Reservoir by the Starvation Feeder Conduit. Starvation Dam is operated and maintained by CUWCD.