Their plan is elegantly simple: permanently sequester infected sediments on synthetic islands.
“Think about 500,000 tons of dissolved solids in total,” Benson said. “A lake naturally processes this amount of biological material. “
Abbott argues that Benson exaggerates the magnitude of the nutrient challenge on the one hand and overestimates dredging on the other.
Contaminated sediment from Utah Lake is concentrated in Provo Bay, where agricultural runoff entered through the Provo River, and along the northeast coast where the wastewater and then the treated water were discharged, according to Abbott, who organized a forum last month to raise considerations about the project.
“It’s a small fraction of the sediment in the lake that’s polluted the way they say,” he said. “There are no ecological advantages to dredging the main frame of Utah Lake because the sediments are contaminated. “
According to Benson, LRS conducts an investigation of the lakebed to determine the true extent of nutrient contamination.
Regardless, Abbott and others suspect that dredging may even worsen algal blooms and alter the lake’s ecology in other ways, as a deeper lake can ensure that herbal nutrients eventually nourish the flowers. which predate the arrival of the pioneers, according to Abbott. These nutrients are not due to algae because the lake water is rich in oxygen and the nutrients remain attached to the mineral particles.
“You can combine the water and the nutrients that are released. You can’t use it for algae,” Abbott said. However, once you have a deep lake, you get spaces where oxygen is extracted. Then, you get a big nutrient release. ” This is a well-established phenomenon that occurs in synthetic reservoirs around the world. »
The other big technical challenge that LRS has to solve is where to place a billion meters of mud, transporting it for disposal in the Western Desert is an option. Again, Benson’s solution is simple: create new lands.
“The new popular gold is to use the curtains advantageously and the uses are threefold. One is habitat restoration. The time is to replenish the beach, or you can just say recreation,” Benson said. “And then the third one is for development. “
Arches Utah Lake would come with all 3 uses by enclosing sediments in “geotextile” tubes that would shape the foundations of the islands.
“Some of those islands will be recreational,” Benson said. Some will be conservation tools, estuaries or barrier islands. “
And one part will be residential progression that can accommodate up to a million people, according to the allocation’s founder, Ben Parker. La prospect of a swling suburb on the lake alarms many environmentalists, but without the progression, the allocation would not be economically feasible. .
Real estate is the one that will pay for the project.
The company also applies for loans for unspecified amounts from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Water Infrastructure Innovation and Financing Act. This federal program budgets billions in low-interest loans for projects that gain advantages in water quality.
According to the EPA, Lake Restoration has submitted letters of interest to participate in 2020 and 2021. The company was not invited to apply after the first application, while its application at the moment is still being evaluated, according to the firm’s spokeswoman Barbara Khan.
Meanwhile, the Utah Legislature’s latest consultation approved $10 million in loan pledges for assignment without any of the same previous public audits for such investment requests. These pledges must be administered through the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, or Go Utah.
To get the cash, LRS has to go through the Industrial Assistance Fund, however, the company has still filed the documents, so the cash has still been committed, according to Go Utah Deputy Director Benjamin Hart.
“If there’s ever a sense that this appropriation will collapse or possibly not be worth taxpayers’ money, we’re surely not obligated to make that investment,” Hart said.
Benson said the pledges are meant to secure mandatory investment for the pre-construction stages of the project.
“This is a vital sign from our state partners of their commitment to restoring Utah Lake,” he said. “This money remains in the state coffers. “
Unless, of course, the allocation goes bankrupt. In this case, the $10 million will go to creditors and the state can start cleaning up Utah Lake again.
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