| OCR Text |
Show INTRODUCTION The nature of the Great Salt Lake is a combination of interactions between the physical characteristics of the Lake and surrounding area, man's development of the Lake's economic potential and the biotic system supported by the Lake environment. Effective planning of the Lake's future depends on an understanding of each of these elements. The physical characteristics of the Great Salt Lake include the geological formation and chemical nature of the rocks, minerals and soils near and beneath the Lake and the climatological and hydrological phenomena of the' area. The physiography greatly influences the Lake's climatology and hydrology, complex systems dependent upon many natural variables. The Southern Pacific Railroad causeway has also greatly affected the hydrology of the Lake. The primary elements of the economic development of the Great Salt Lake are the extractive industries and recreational activities. There is great mineral wealth in the Lake, but the full potential of mineral development is not known. Extractive industries operating on the Lake have been beset with problems associated with the constant fluctuations in the elevation of the Lake and with the hydrological changes created by the causeway. Recreational development has been greatly hindered by the fluctuating Lake elevation and by the abundance of noxious insects. A plan has been devised allowing for options with graduating intensity of development. Because of the conflicting interests of various extractive industries and recreational development, careful planning is needed for their successful coexistence. |
