06-23-2004, 03:22 PM
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[url "http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27476&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0"][#800080]Residents get opportunity to weigh in on pollution regulations at Utah Lake[/#800080][/url]
Caleb Warnock DAILY HERALD
Utah Lake officials are hoping hundreds of Utah Valley residents will come to a meeting Thursday about proposed water pollution regulations in the state's largest freshwater lake.
The meeting will give those in attendance a chance to speak out about a federally mandated study now under way, called a Total Maximum Daily Load study, that will determine how to lower phosphorus and salt levels in Utah Lake. Residents can give their opinions about how strict or lax regulations should be. All comments will be compiled as data for late study.
Some local officials have expressed concerns that Utah County residents could be left with up to a $1 billion property tax increase to fund a cleanup effort of the lake if new pollution regulations are too strict. The stricter the regulations, the more it will cost the county to meet them.
State officials classified Utah Lake as "impaired" several years ago because of the amount of phosphorus trapped in the water and mud as the result of years of sewage and agricultural runoff. The phosphorus causes blooms of algae, which deplete oxygen in the water, potentially killing fish.
The lake also has grown so salty that water can no longer be used for irrigating orchards. A TMDL study is done on water bodies listed by the state as impaired to determine how to improve water quality.
"What it says is that the lake is not a healthy water body," said Dave Wham, an environmental scientist with the Utah Division of Water Quality. "Utah Lake is on that (impaired water bodies) list. We have a big, beautiful lake out there, and we are charged with protecting its water quality -- and that's a pretty big charge."
A two-part, in-depth study of Utah Lake began this spring, Wham said. The first part involves collecting and studying all previous studies on the lake and is expected to last a year.
The second phase, which is likely to begin this fall or in the spring of 2005, will pinpoint the exact sources of the phosphorus and salts that are collecting in the lake and make recommendations on how to reduce each source. This part of the study could last several years.
Tracylee Clarke, public involvement specialist with SWCA Environmental Consultants, said the purpose of Thursday's meeting is to exchange information with the community.
"I think there is a lot of confusion about what a TMDL is and what the Utah Department of Environmental Quality is doing," she said. "(The community) thinks DEQ is going to clean up the lake and make it better for fishing, and (the DEQ is) going to improve water quality in the lake, and that will help clean up the lake and better fishing, but they are focused on water quality."
Residents with questions about the future implications of water pollution in the lake can speak with experts at the meeting to get their questions answered, Clarke said. In addition, experts are looking for anyone with current or historic information about the health or water quality of Utah Lake.
"This is their lake and their community, and they have a right to know what the TMDL study is about, and I think they also have a responsibility to be involved in those policy decisions that are being made," Clarke said.
The meeting will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday in the ballroom of the Provo Library, 500 N. University Ave. in Provo. Experts and information will be available throughout the meeting, and a short presentation will be given at 6:30 p.m. Those who cannot make it to the meeting can comment on the TMDL study by calling (801) 322-4307 or by e-mailing tclarke@swca.com.
[i]Caleb Warnock can be reached at 344-2543 or cwarnock@heraldextra.com.[/i]This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.
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[/url] | [url "http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Recommend_Us&file=index&req=FriendSend&sid=27476"][/url][url "http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27476&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0"][#800080]Residents get opportunity to weigh in on pollution regulations at Utah Lake[/#800080][/url]
Caleb Warnock DAILY HERALD
Utah Lake officials are hoping hundreds of Utah Valley residents will come to a meeting Thursday about proposed water pollution regulations in the state's largest freshwater lake.
The meeting will give those in attendance a chance to speak out about a federally mandated study now under way, called a Total Maximum Daily Load study, that will determine how to lower phosphorus and salt levels in Utah Lake. Residents can give their opinions about how strict or lax regulations should be. All comments will be compiled as data for late study.
Some local officials have expressed concerns that Utah County residents could be left with up to a $1 billion property tax increase to fund a cleanup effort of the lake if new pollution regulations are too strict. The stricter the regulations, the more it will cost the county to meet them.
State officials classified Utah Lake as "impaired" several years ago because of the amount of phosphorus trapped in the water and mud as the result of years of sewage and agricultural runoff. The phosphorus causes blooms of algae, which deplete oxygen in the water, potentially killing fish.
The lake also has grown so salty that water can no longer be used for irrigating orchards. A TMDL study is done on water bodies listed by the state as impaired to determine how to improve water quality.
"What it says is that the lake is not a healthy water body," said Dave Wham, an environmental scientist with the Utah Division of Water Quality. "Utah Lake is on that (impaired water bodies) list. We have a big, beautiful lake out there, and we are charged with protecting its water quality -- and that's a pretty big charge."
A two-part, in-depth study of Utah Lake began this spring, Wham said. The first part involves collecting and studying all previous studies on the lake and is expected to last a year.
The second phase, which is likely to begin this fall or in the spring of 2005, will pinpoint the exact sources of the phosphorus and salts that are collecting in the lake and make recommendations on how to reduce each source. This part of the study could last several years.
Tracylee Clarke, public involvement specialist with SWCA Environmental Consultants, said the purpose of Thursday's meeting is to exchange information with the community.
"I think there is a lot of confusion about what a TMDL is and what the Utah Department of Environmental Quality is doing," she said. "(The community) thinks DEQ is going to clean up the lake and make it better for fishing, and (the DEQ is) going to improve water quality in the lake, and that will help clean up the lake and better fishing, but they are focused on water quality."
Residents with questions about the future implications of water pollution in the lake can speak with experts at the meeting to get their questions answered, Clarke said. In addition, experts are looking for anyone with current or historic information about the health or water quality of Utah Lake.
"This is their lake and their community, and they have a right to know what the TMDL study is about, and I think they also have a responsibility to be involved in those policy decisions that are being made," Clarke said.
The meeting will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday in the ballroom of the Provo Library, 500 N. University Ave. in Provo. Experts and information will be available throughout the meeting, and a short presentation will be given at 6:30 p.m. Those who cannot make it to the meeting can comment on the TMDL study by calling (801) 322-4307 or by e-mailing tclarke@swca.com.
[i]Caleb Warnock can be reached at 344-2543 or cwarnock@heraldextra.com.[/i]This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.
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