PROTECTING GREAT SALT LAKE: MEETING THE WATER QUALITY CHALLENGE

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1 PROTECTING GREAT SALT LAKE: MEETING THE WATER QUALITY CHALLENGE Photo courtesy of Charles Uibel, greatsaltlakephotos.com Utah Department of Environmental Quality/ Division of Water Quality (UDWQ)

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3 Lake Level Fluctuations (1985 to 2009)

4 Clean Water Act and Utah Water Quality Act Requirements Identify Designated Uses for Water Bodies Identify Water Quality Standards to meet Designated Uses Regulate Point Source Discharges Monitor Water Quality Assess waters (305b Integrated Report) and List (303d list) waters that do not meet Water Quality Standards Identify sources and reductions needed (TMDL) and prepare a plan to reduce pollutants

5 Designated Uses: Water quality goal Great Salt Lake Classification: 5A Gilbert Bay 5B Gunnison Bay 5C Bear River Bay 5D Farmington Bay 5E Transitional Wetlands

6 Water Quality Criteria Numeric Criteria- Precise measureable level of a particular chemical or conditions allowable in a water body Example: Lead criteria to protect aquatic organisms ug/l (4 day average) Gilbert Bay has Great Salt Lake s only numeric criterion: Selenium in egg tissue Narrative Criteria: Narrative statement (e.g., free from ) that establishes water quality goals

7 UPDES Industrial and Municipal Permits Mineral Extraction Industrial Publicly Owned Treatment Works Stormwater

8 Need for a Great Salt Lake Water Quality Strategy No clearly defined water quality criteria Permit limits based on technology based effluent limits Water quality decisions that may be over- or underprotective of the lake s beneficial uses Complications associated with analyzing saline waters Repeated appeals Difficult to estimate potential water quality effects of proposed developments

9 Core Components Numeric Criteria Development Resources Plan A Great Salt Lake Water Quality Strategy Strategic Monitoring and Research Public Outreach Plan Wetland Program Plan

10 Core Component 2: Strategic Monitoring and Research

11 UDWQ Monitoring Locations

12 Monitoring: Improve Baseline Sampling Plan Verify and Confirm Sampling procedures Laboratory analytical methods Sampling locations Time of sampling Frequency of sampling Contaminants to be monitored

13 Arsenic Concentrations in Gilbert Bay Gilbert Bay Water Samples Arsenic Concentrations (ug/l) July, 2011 October, 2011 June, 2012 October, 2012 Saltwater criteria Freshwater criteria

14 Cadmium Concentrations in Gilbert Bay Gilbert Bay Water Samples Cadmium Concentrations (ug/l) July, 2011 October, 2011 June, 2012 October, 2012 Saltwater criteria Freshwater criteria

15 Copper Concentrations in Gilbert Bay Gilbert Bay Water Samples Copper Concentrations (ug/l) July, 2011 October, 2011 June, 2012 October, 2012 Saltwater criteria Freshwater criteria

16 Lead Concentrations in Gilbert Bay Gilbert Bay Water Samples Lead Concentrations (ug/l) July, 2011 October, 2011 June, 2012 October, 2012 Saltwater criteria Freshwater criteria

17 Methyl Mercury Concentrations in Gilbert Bay Gilbert Bay Water Samples Methyl Mercury Concentrations (ng/l) July, 2011 October, 2011 June, 2012 October, 2012 Saltwater criteria Freshwater criteria

18 Selenium Concentrations in Gilbert Bay Gilbert Bay Water Samples Selenium Concentrations (ug/l) Average = Minimum = Maximum = July, 2011 October, 2011 June, 2012 October, 2012 Saltwater criteria Freshwater criteria

19 Thallium Concentrations in Gilbert Bay Gilbert Bay Water Samples Thallium Concentrations (ug/l) July, 2011 October, 2011 June, 2012 October, 2012 Saltwater criteria Freshwater criteria

20 Arsenic and Cadmium Concentrations in Farmington and Bear River Bays Farmington and Bear River Bays Water Samples Arsenic Concentrations (ug/l) Farmington and Bear River Bays Water Samples Cadmium Concentrations (ug/l) August, 2011 October, 2011 July, 2012 October, August, 2011 October, 2011 July, 2012 October, Saltwater criteria 5 Saltwater criteria 100 Freshwater criteria 6 Freshwater criteria

21 Copper and Methyl Mercury Concentrations in Farmington and Bear River Bays Farmington and Bear River Bays Water Samples Copper Concentrations (ug/l) Farmington and Bear River Bays Water Samples Methyl Mercury Concentrations (ng/l) August, 2011 October, 2011 July, 2012 October, 2012 Saltwater criteria Freshwater criteria August, 2011 October, 2011 July, 2012 October, 2012 Saltwater criteria Freshwater criteria

22 Lead and Selenium Concentrations in Farmington and Bear River Bays Farmington and Bear River Bays Water Samples Lead Concentrations (ug/l) Farmington and Bear River Bays Water Samples Selenium Concentrations (ug/l) August, 2011 October, 2011 July, 2012 October, 2012 Saltwater criteria Freshwater criteria August, 2011 October, 2011 July, 2012 October, 2012 Saltwater criteria Freshwater criteria

23 Total Mercury Concentrations in Gilbert Bay Brine Shrimp Gilbert Bay Brine Shrimp Samples Total Mercury Concentrations (mg/kg) ww 0 Gil1 Gil2 Gil3 Gil4 Gil5 Gil6 Gil7 Gil July, 2011 October, 2011 June, 2012 October, 2012 Avg 2008 Low Risk Moderate risk

24 Selenium Concentrations in Gilbert Bay Brine Shrimp Gilbert Bay Brine Shrimp Samples Selenium Concentrations (mg/kg) ww 0 Gil1 Gil2 Gil3 Gil4 Gil5 Gil6 Gil7 Gil July, 2011 October, 2011 June, 2012 October, 2012 Low SE Study High- SE Study

25 Toxicity Testing Objective : estimate range of chemical concentrations that produce observed quantifiable response under controlled lab conditions Test Organisms: Brine Shrimp and Brine Flies Researchers: Gary Belovsky and David Buchwalter Phases: Acute Toxicity deleterious effect, short term exposure (4 days) Chronic Toxicity long term exposure

26 Pollutant Prioritization Used only Baseline Sampling Data Shallow brine layer concentrations given greater weight than deep brine layer concentrations Mean concentrations were divided by 1) Utah s freshwater aquatic organism chronic criteria, 2) EPA s marine chronic criteria or 3)other benchmarks and ranked Further ranked by whether the pollutant is present in known discharges to GSL and by existing brine shrimp, brine fly toxicity studies

27 Pollutant Prioritization 1. Arsenic 2. Copper 3. Methylmercury 4. Lead Deferred: ammonia, cadmium, total mercury, selenium, thallium, and zinc

28 What Happens Next 2013 Continue Baseline Sampling Plan in partnership with USGS and Davis County Health Department Implement year 1 of the Toxicological Testing Implement Interim Permitting Approach Validate MMI for Impounded Wetlands and begin Fringe Wetland sampling and assessment Adoption of GSL water quality strategy by the Water Quality Board 2014 Continued sampling Year 2 of Toxicological Testing Implement Laboratory Round Robin Develop Core Components 4 (Public Outreach) and 5 (Resource)

29 Contact Information The Great Salt Lake Water Quality Strategy can be accessed at Call or contact me if you have any thoughts or questions about water quality on Great Salt Lake

30 Great Salt Lake provides its important recreational, ecological and economic benefits for current and future generations Photo courtesy of Charles Uibel, greatsaltlakephotos.com Utah Department of Environmental Quality/ Division of Water Quality (UDWQ)