PI-39 Commonly Asked Questions About Utah's Great Salt Lake and Ancient Lake Bonneville

Acknowledgments

I thank the following individuals for submitting commonly asked questions or reviewing this document: Bryce Tripp, Rebecca Hylland, Carol Oestreich, David Madsen, Bill Case, Bill Jerome, Richmond Kelley, Rebecca McNeeley, Corey Milne, Carolyn Olson, Sharon Wakefield, Jim Fillpot, Scott Flandro, Teddie Krause, Kimm Harty, and Tom Aldrich.

Special thanks is given to Dr. Don Currey, University of Utah, for providing current information on the elevations and ages of Lake Bonneville and Great Salt Lake shorelines.

Additional information about Great Salt Lake

FOR GEOLOGICAL, WATER SALINITY/CHEMISTRY, AND GENERAL LAKE INFORMATION: Utah Geological Survey, 1594 W. North Temple, Suite 3410, Salt Lake City, UT, 84114-6100, (801) 537-3326 or (801) 537-3366.

FOR LAKE ELEVATIONS AND HYDROLOGY INFORMATION: U.S. Geological Survey, 2329 West Orton Circle, West Valley City, UT 84119, (801) 908-5000.

FOR RECREATION, BOATING, LAKE-ACCESS, AND SEARCH-AND-RESCUE INFORMATION: Division of Parks and Recreation, 1594 W. North Temple, Suite 116, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6001, (801) 538-7220.

FOR LEASING AND MINERAL EXTRACTION/ROYALTY INFORMATION IN THE GREAT SALT LAKE: Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, 1594 W. North Temple, Suite 3520, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-5703, (801) 538-5555.

FOR WATER RESOURCES AND LAKE-LEVEL CONTROL PROGRAM INFORMATION: Utah Division of Water Resources, 1594 W. North Temple, Suite 310, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6201, (801) 538-7230.

FOR WATER APPROPRIATIONS, DISTRIBUTIONS, AND ADJUDICATIONS: Utah Division of Water Rights, 1594 W. North Temple, Suite 220, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6300, (801) 538-7240.

FOR WILDLIFE AND BRINE SHRIMP INFORMATION: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 1594 W. North Temple, Suite 2110, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6301, (801) 538-4700.

FOR CONSTRUCTION IN AND AROUND THE LAKE (401 PERMIT) INFORMATION: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1403 S. 600 W., Woods Cross, UT 84087, (801) 295-8380.

FOR BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS AND FEDERAL LAND-LEASING INFORMATION: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Salt Lake City District Office, 2370 S. 2300 W., Salt Lake City, UT 84119, (801) 977-4300.

FOR BEAR RIVER MIGRATORY BIRD REFUGE INFORMATION: U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, 866 S. Main, Brigham City, UT 84302, (801) 723-5887.

Other publications on the Great Salt Lake

• Major Levels of Great Salt Lake and Lake Bonneville by D.R. Curry, G. Atwood, D. Mabey, 1983.
• Great Salt Lake; a Scientific, Historical and Economic Overview, editor: J.W. Gwynn, 1980.
• The Great Salt Lake, Utah, by W.L. Stokes, 1984.
• Geologic Resources of Box Elder County, Utah by S.N. Eldredge, M.H. Bugden, and C.M. Wilkerson, 1989.
• Great Salt Lake Information Sheet, 1990.
• Geology and Antelope Island State Park, Utah by H.H. Doelling and others, 1988.
• Geologic Resources of Box Elder County, Utah by S.N. Eldredge, M.H. Bugden, and C.M. Wilkerson, 1989.
• Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah, 1995.
• Geologic Map of Antelope Island, Davis County, Utah by H.H. Doelling and others, 1991.
• Engineering Geology of the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area, Utah by W.R. Lund, 1990.
• Dissolved-Mineral Inflow to Great Salt Lake and Chemical Characteristics of the Salt Lake Brine, Part I, 1963 by D.C. Hahl and C.G. Mitchell; and Part II, 1964 by D.C. Hahl and R.H. Langford, 1964.
• Great Salt Lake, Utah: Chemical and Physical Variations of the Brine, 1963-1966 by D.C. Hahl and A.H. Handy, 1969; 1966-1972 by J.A. Whelan, 1973; 1973 by J.A. Whelan and C.A. Peterson, 1975; 1974-1975 by J.A. Whelan and C.A. Peterson, 1977.
• Effects of a Causeway on the Chemistry of the Brine in Great Salt Lake, Utah by R.J. Madison, 1970.
• Evaluation of Eddy Flux Techniques in Computing Evaporation from the Great Salt Lake, by D.R. Dickson and A.E. Rickers, 1970.
• The Effects of Restricted Circulation on the Salt Balance of Great Salt Lake, Utah by K.M. Waddell and E.L. Bolke, 1973.
• Hydrogeology of the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah by L.J. Turk, 1973.
• Model for Evaluating the Effects of Dikes on the Water and Salt Balance of Great Salt Lake, Utah by K.M. Waddell and F.K. Fields, 1977.
• Effects of Breaching the Southern Pacific Railroad Causeway, Great Salt Lake, Utah - Physical and Chemical Changes, August 1, 1984 - July, 1986 by J.W. Gwynn and P.A. Sturm, 1987.
• Geology and Mineral Resources of Box Elder County, Utah by H.H. Doelling, 1980.
• Shallow Ground Water and Related Hazards in Utah by S. Hecker and K.M. Harty, 1988.
• Flood Hazards from Lakes and Failures of Dams in Utah by K.M. Harty and G.E. Christenson, 1988.
• Glauber's Salt Bed West of Promontory Point, Great Salt Lake by A.J. Eardley, 1962.
• Gypsum Dunes and Evaporite History of the Great Salt Lake Desert by A.J. Eardley, 1962.
• Clay Mineralogy at the Brine-Sediment Interface in the South Arm of Great Salt Lake, Utah by L.L. Hedberg and W.T. Parry, 1971.
• Preliminary Report on Possible Solutions to"Fill Effect" causing Dilution of South Arm Brines and Concentration of North Arm Brines, Great Salt Lake, Utah by J.A. Whelan and N. Stauffer, 1972.
• Mineral Occurrences in the Emergency Withdrawal Area and Adjacent Lands in the Great Salt Lake Desert by J.W. Gwynn and others, 1985.
• An Approximation of the Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Farmington Bay and Bear River Bay, Great Salt Lake, Utah by J.W. Gwynn, 1986.