In 1900, a group of farmers from Sanpete County secured the company's rights to store water and convey it by transmountain diversion to their lands.

The latter company abandoned the idea of watering Sanpete County lands and made plans to irrigate 25,000 acres (100 km2) near Price, Utah.

The dam failed on June 25, 1917, when it was only partly completed, releasing 11,000 acre⋅ft (14,000,000 m3) of water and causing flood damage estimated at $1 million to railroad and mining property.

Emergency repairs, together with the rapid evacuation of storage water through the outlet tunnel, were effective in preventing complete failure and a devastating flood.

In view of the apparent weakness of the dam, storage in Scofield Reservoir was strictly limited to a maximum of 30,000 acre⋅ft (37,000,000 m3).

[1] The project was authorized by the president on June 24, 1943, under the terms of the Water Conservation and Utilization Act of August 11, 1939 (53 Stat.

[1] Construction of the new storage works by the W.W. Clyde Company of Springville, Utah, was undertaken during World War II to prevent possible flood damage to the main line of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, the State highway, the telephone and telegraph lines, and the coal mines, all of which were important to the war effort.

[4] Uses of Scofield Reservoir and its watershed include coal mining, agriculture, residential, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, camping, and a variety of other types of summer and winter recreations.

[3] Initially, the Federal government viewed the dam as a flood control measure to prevent damage to vital defense industries and transportation.

[4] For the local population, Scofield Dam and Reservoir also supplied irrigation water for surrounding farms.

In 1943, local farms grew alfalfa, barley, beans, corn, oats, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, and pasture.

[4] While still providing flood protection and sustainable water supply, the reservoir now serves as a popular recreation area.