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Show to obtain part of Antelope Island and develop it for recreational use. Under the direction of the Great Salt Lake Authority a preliminary master plan for the development of Great Salt Lake, over a period of the next 75 years, was prepared by Caldwell, Richards, and Sorenson, Inc., Consulting Engineers. This 1965 study again put emphasis on the construction of inter- island dikes to form a fresh water reservoir in the eastern section of Great Salt Lake so that the fresh water running into Great Salt Lake could be saved and stored. Tests were begun to investigate the feasibility of using tailings from the Kennecott Copper Corporation operations as material for dike construction and as fill material for an area of approximately 60 square miles in the southern end of the inter- island embayment. The reclaimed land was to be used for agricultural and industrial development or other suitable purposes. The master plan also called for recreational development to be encouraged between Black Rock and old Saltair resort by designating this area a major resort area and stabilizing the lake at about elevation 4,200. A zoning plan for the lake bed land was proposed with agricultural- industrial development on the land reclaimed with tailings, recreational- wildlife development covering most of the area between Black Rock and Promontory Point, and the balance of the lake designated for chemical extraction purposes. Tests on the feasibility of using the Kennecott tailings for dike construction were carried out for the Authority. In December, 1968, Caldwell, Richards, and Sorenson, Inc., presented the Great Salt Lake Authority the result of the tailing feasibility test. The report pointed out the practicability and limitations of using tailings for dike construction. H. S. Suekawa ( 1970) reported the findings of a three- year test conducted in the lake on the stability of Kennecott tailings. General conclusions were that placing the tailings by transporting them in a slurry through a pipeline appeared to be economically feasible but the destructive force of wave action would require the dike to have a protective cover. During its existence the only task the Great Salt Lake Authority was able to complete was the establishment of the Great Salt Lake State Park on Antelope Island. The dissolving of the Great Salt Lake Authority in 1969 has left the state without an agency with responsibility for coordinating the development of the resources of Great Salt Lake. Uncoordinated development of die lake can create situations where resource use alternatives are undertaken without previously investigating the potential impacts which the developments might have on possible or existing projects which involve alternative uses of the resources. The limitations on the creation of an inter- island diking system for fresh water storage created by other development and resource use alternatives is an excellent example of how the lack of a comprehensive development strategy has limited development alternatives involving Great Salt Lake. Under the Weber River Project of the USBR, Willard Bay Reservoir was constructed as an off- stream reservoir for storage of Weber River water which would be lost to Great Salt Lake. The possible contribution of the Weber River to an inter- island reservoir is therefore greatly reduced over natural conditions. Although off- stream reservoirs might be the best solution for storing fresh water now entering Great Salt Lake, Willard Bay Reservoir was constructed and now has a major influence on the remaining alternatives for saving water now flowing into Great Salt Lake. In the case of the inter- island diking schemes, it appears that construction of the " small project," discussed earlier, might not be feasible due to the reduced flow of the Weber River. The locating of a major chemical extraction operation in the lower reaches of Willard Bay further restricts the possible alternatives available for fresh water storage. Willard Bay was once considered a prime site for fresh water storage. But due to possible damage to the chemical extraction operation, the use of Willard Bay for fresh water storage might be limited. Proper management of the resources of Great Salt Lake requires that possible use alternatives be coordinated in a manner which will bring maximum benefit to the entire state. The responsibility given the Great Salt Lake Authority was an attempt to properly manage the lake. In creating the Great Salt Lake Authority, the state viewed the problem as developing the mainland, islands, minerals, and water within the Great Salt Lake meander line. Proper management of Great Salt Lake for maximum benefit to the state requires that the entire lake system, including the lake, marshland, and tributaries, be managed as a single entity. Otherwise it is possible to have management decisions made for one area of the lake system ( tributary streams) which conflict with the management goals in another area of the lake system ( Great Salt Lake) without the consequences of such conflicts being minimized. 9 |