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Salt budget for West Pond, Utah, April 1987 to June 1989

Water-Resources Investigations Report 93-4028
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/wri934028

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Abstract

During operation of the West Desert pumping project, April 10. 1987, to June 30, 1989, data were collected as part of a monitoring program to evaluate the effects of pumping brine from Great Salt Lake into West Pond in northern Utah. The removal of brine from Great Sail was part of an effort to lower the level of Great Salt Lake when the water level was at a high in 1986. These data were used to prepare a salt budget that indicates about 695 million tons of salt or about 14.2 percent of salt contained in Great Salt Lake was pumped into West Pond. Of the 695 million tons of salt pumped into West Pond, 315 million tons (45 percent) were dissolved in West Pond, 71 million tons (10.2 percent) formed a salt crust at the bottom of the pond, 10 million tons (1.4 percent) infiltrated the subsurface areas inundated by storage in the pond, 88 million tons (12.7 percent) were withdrawn by American Magnesium Corporation, and 123 million tons (17.7 percent) discharged from the pond through the Newfoundland weir. About 88 million tons (13 percent) of the salt pumped from the lake could not be accounted for in the salt budget. About 94 million tons of salt (1.9 percent of the total salt in Great Salt Lake) flowed back to Great Salt Lake.

Suggested Citation

Wold, S., Waddell, K., 1994, Salt budget for West Pond, Utah, April 1987 to June 1989: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 93-4028, iv, 20 p. :ill., maps ;28 cm., https://doi.org/10.3133/wri934028.

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Salt budget for West Pond, Utah, April 1987 to June 1989
Series title Water-Resources Investigations Report
Series number 93-4028
DOI 10.3133/wri934028
Year Published 1994
Language ENGLISH
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey ; USGS Earth Science Information Center, Open-File Reports Section [distributor],
Description iv, 20 p. :ill., maps ;28 cm.
Additional publication details