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Show from overloaded and unsatisfactory sewage treatment facilities contribute to the chemical and bacteriological loads in Utah Lake and Jordan River. The shallow depth of Utah Lake, lack of aquatic vegetation, and semi- suspended fine bottom sediments together with wind and wave action on the lake also contribute to the lack of clear water in the lake. Utah Valley In Utah Valley as in Jordan Valley the mountain front streams, including Provo, Spanish Fork, and American Fork Rivers, are high quality water sources. Water is of the calcium bicarbonate- type with TDS in the 100 to 500 mg/ 1 range. Springs in the canyons and along the front, which presently constitute the major surface source of high quality potable water to the community, are utilized with only chlorination. Due to the relative abundance of spring and suitable quality groundwater, treatment plants which could make possible utilization of front streamflows for culinary use have not yet been constructed. Increasing summer home and recreation development and use in the canyons, however, is adding to water quality problems- particularly the bacteriological load in the spring areas. In Provo Canyon efforts are underway to develop a sewer system. As previously mentioned, the waters of Utah Lake are usable only for irrigation and low quality industrial use. In summer months the bacteriological quality of the lake along the eastern shore decreases to a level which is unfit for human use. When the flows of the Provo River are diverted for upstream use a coliform count as high as 500,000 per 100 millilitres has been measured by BYU researchers in the vicinity of Utah Lake State Park. This contamination is due primarily to the runoff of agricultural waste and untreated sewage. Coliform counts in the center and near the west side of the lake, taken during the same period, show relatively low concentrations. Under EPA Grant Number 16080 E. V. T. water samples from the eastern end of Provo Bay were found to contain an average of about 1,300 times more coliform organisms than the waters sampled at the western point where the bay outlets into Utah Lake. While the above sources do contribute coliform organisms to the bay, conditions within the bay itself such as high water temperatures and an abundance of high energy waste material result in coliform multiplication in the eastern part of the bay. Estimates indicate that the waters flowing into the Provo Bay are retained for about one month before entering Utah Lake. This would explain the extreme differential in coliform count between the eastern and western ends of the Bay. With this high retention time it appears that Provo Bay may be functioning as a tertiary treatment facility. As the water surface level of the lake lowers the retention time is reduced and the effectiveness of the treatment function of the bay diminished. During drought conditions, when the lake 196 |
