Researchers get $1M to study Utah Lake algae blooms

Researchers get $1M to study Utah Lake algae blooms

(Spenser Heaps, Deseret News, File)


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SALT LAKE CITY —The second phase of a Utah Lake nutrient study to probe the algal bloom problem will begin thanks to a $1 million hardship grant awarded Wednesday to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

Members of the Utah Water Quality Board voted to approve the emergency grant in light of the extensive and pervasive spread of cyanobacteria at Utah's third largest lake — a problem that began early in the season and has been unprecedented in its scope.

“It’s time for us to take a hard look at the impacts of nutrients on Utah Lake,” said Walt Baker, director of the Division of Water Quality. “This study will provide us with the data and tools we need to evaluate the complex chemical and biological factors at play in the lake and make decisions that improve and protect this valuable resource.”

The funding continues a two-phase, four-year water quality study that will evaluate water quality data and look at the nutrient loads — or the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen in the lake — that is the cause of the harmful algal bloom.

Additional goals include developing tools for effective decision-making and involving partners and interested groups in stewardship of the lake's health.

Utah Lake was closed to public access for two weeks in mid-July because of an algal bloom that covered most of its surface. Lincoln Beach has been posted off-limits since the outbreak. The cyanobacteria can produce toxins that can be deadly to domestic animals and cause severe symptoms in people.

The bloom eventually spread to the Jordan River, and subsequent blooms have been reported at Payson Lake and Scofield Reservoir.

Multiple southern Salt Lake County communities suspended delivery of secondary water over fear the contamination would pose a health risk to people or make irrigated crops and gardens unsafe for consumption. The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food has since received lab results that showed no toxins in the produce that may have come in contact with the water.

This week, the Utah County Health Department upgraded two of its advisories based on new test results, elevating the public health warnings at the Saratoga Springs Marina and at Sandy Beach.

Conditions this summer have been ideal for the formation of the blooms. Utah Lake is 4 feet lower than what is typical, and the combination of heat and sunlight helps to foster the growth of algae.

In 2014, the Utah Water Quality Board approved a rule regulating the amount of phosphorus that wastewater treatment plants can discharge into water, including at Utah Lake. The rule, which does not take effect until 2020, requires technology upgrades at the plants to reduce the nutrient's presence in treated effluent.

“The challenges facing Utah Lake affect all of us,” Baker said. "We believe a collaborative, informed and science-based approach is our best hope for finding solutions that meet the needs of the lake, its users and the aquatic life that depend on a healthy lake for their survival.”

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