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Show Davis eflex-- J SUCTION ournal B OCTOBER 21, 1986 THREE YEARS AGO, this reflection of the Wasatch Front was not possible. Encroaching Great Salt Lake has changed the look of Davis County farms, industry Thousands of acres of agricultural land have succumbed to the rise of the Great Salt Lake with an estimated $24 million in damages. And since most of that is pasture or crop land in Davis County, many area farmers have sold entire herds of cattle or lost hundreds of acres for cultivation. John Blankman is just one example. Mr. Blankman is the manager of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daSaints welfare farm in West Kaysville. Since the lake began rising in 1983, he has seen more than 1300 acres submerge in salt water. The land, which was leased from the state by the LDS Church, was pasture for 200 head of cattle. The cattle operation was discontinued three years ago when there was no acreage left for grazing. But the welfare farm continued to grow sudan grass, hay, grain and com on the remaining leased acres. This year 10 acres of that crop land was lost to the body of salt water. But next year, if that water comes up any more we are going to be in big trouble, Mr. Blankman said with a thick Dutch accent. The rise of the lake has effected people down here a lot more than the general public knows. Mr. Blankman knows a lot about saving land from encroaching water. He was raised in Holland and immigrated to the United States in the 1950s. Holland was mostly covered with sea water until the country began to build dikes and drain the land. Diking rather than pumping thats the only answer, Mr. Blankman said. When water is pumped into the West Desert it will evaporate and dump more water on the benches, according to Mr. Blankman. But if dikes are built to control the source of water the Weber and Bear Rivers it solves most of the problem, he said. Diking the Weber and Bear Rivers will also create a close recreational area, Mr. Blankman said. People are going hundreds of miles to Lake Powell yet the Great Salt Lake area could be a great recreational site. The dikes could also be a source of power since hydroelectric plants could be built at the reservoir sites, Mr. Blankman said. And diking rather than pumping would also solve another problem Morton Salt and mineral companies are facing with the rise of the lake. The fresh water coming in is desalting the lake, he said. Its a tremendous loss for Morton Salt and the mineral companies. Diking would control the salt content and not change mineral mining habits. But the biggest problem Mr. Blankman sees facing the state with the rising lake is planning. Right now, the state of Utah is lacking in planning. There are no long range plans. There are no people looking ahead. Joe Wilcox does not know if West Deseret pumping will work, but he does know if the lake does not recede by next spring he will go out of the cattle business. Mr. Wilcox raises 41 head of cattle every summer and sells them in the y Although there are no industrial sites under the water of the Great Salt Lake, many businesses bordering the drink in Davis County are spending thousands of dollars to keep afloat. The south plant of the South Davis Sewer District has spent $50,000 to stop the encroaching lake. The north plant of the district has spent $1 million. An eight foot dike surrounds the north plant and four homes in the area. It was built by the Corps of Engineers in the spring of 1985. Last spring the dike was raised another four feet by the corps, of engineers and will probably be raised another four feet this coming spring, according to Dal Wayment, general manager of the South Davis Sewer District. The plant as it sits now is worth $15 million, so we can spend a lot of money on pumps and diking before it is economical to move it, Mr. Wayment said. Putting dikes around the sewer treatment plant created some problems. Storm water and ground water were trapped and there was leakage through the dike. Pumps were installed to drain the land east of the dike. With the dike in place, the rising Great Salt Lake has no effect on the operation of the plant. But the rising ground watertable has increased the flows in the sewer system by 10 percent. This means the plants must treat more water. Right now both plants are operating at 30 percent of their designed capacity, Mr. Wayment said. This is partly due to infiltration. Like the sewer treatment plant, the Bay Area Refuse Disposal has built a dike. The dike is seven to eight feet tall and cost $42,000. Water completely surrounds the garbage dump, as deep as six feet on the west side. BARD is an island its surrounded by lake water four to six feet all around, Jerry Thompson, BARDs chairman of the board, said. But the dike is still not high enough for the wind tide. Come spring, Mr. Thompson predicts the wind tide will be pushing water over the dike. Utah Power and Light also built a dike in the spring of 1985. According to spokesman John Ward, two power lines were chopped down in Willard Bay by floating ice. Ice develops on the top part of the lake, then the wind moves it at fast speeds. A dike was built around the Farmington Bay area to protect the corridor there. Now the power company plans to relocate three miles of the most critically effected power line in the Farmington Bay. By winter, the mile line will be moved east to higher ground. Even if the lake receded, the line would have to be replaced because it is Mr. Ward said. one-fourt- h The Centerville Industrial Park is probably the least effected site on the lake shore. But the industrial park is in jeopardy, according to Randy Randall, public works director for the city. A plan is devised to reduce the hazards, he said. fall. His property is west of the railroad tracks and south of Glover Lane near Farmington. This year everything but a small hill where his haystack sits is under the lake. Mr. Wilcox rented land to operate his business. Photos and text JOHN BLANKMAN POINTS to the area where he once grazed 200 head of cattle for the LDS Church welfare farm. by Paula Huff Waterfowl more scarce as lake rises There were 400,000 acres of state managed waterfowl habitat around the Great Salt Lake before it began to rise in 1983. Now theres just open salt water left the rise of the lake has destroyed most of the habitat, Brent Hutchings, a wetland habitat specialist for the Division of Wildlife Resources, said. At one time, Mr. Hutchings was the refuge manager for Marshes. But the Farmington Bay and West in the north and habitat wetland the covered has lake the rise of created wetlands in southern Utah. Mr. Hutchings job has shifted with the water. Marshes around the Great Salt Lake once made northern Utah part of the pacific flyway, Mr. Hutchings said. Water-fow- l migrating from the west coast stopped by the Great Salt Lake where they gathered to fly south. In the spring, the area was used for breeding. But the days of plentiful waterfowl for consumptive or nonconsumptive use have gone under. The rise of the lake has e caused the duck population to decrease by 78 percent. and include have not to swan, ducks, geese waterfowl, decreased in numbers by 90 percent. Redhead and Cinnamon Teal ducks were once considered a highlight in state waterfowl. The Great Salt Lake area was one of their critical nesting areas, but their habitat is under water too, he said. Now the two species are nesting elsewhere. Goose population is up, even though a late storm last year Layton-Kaysvil- le Non-gam- I destroyed many of the nests. Swans peaked in 1983 with 60,000 birds migrating through the area. But they have found other places to migrate since feeding and habitat are gone. A lot of the birds are staying in Nevada, some are overflying the state or going into Idaho, Mr. Hutchings said. Birds that continue to venture into the area use pastures and fields for nesting, Mr. Hutchings said. Some farmers have complained that cattle will not graze where geese have. Most damage occurs when flocks of migrating birds land in harvesting fields and trample the plants, Mr. Hutchings said. Some of the stray waterfowl are killed because the rise of the lake has pushed predators and prey into the same niche. One bird that has adapted to the rising water is the Tundra or Whistling Swan. In 1985, the DWR found the swan feeding with geese and cows. This is not common, Mr. Hutchings said. "Tundra Swan are normally bottom feeders. But this is only one instance where a bird adapted. Most dont. The reduction of waterfowl in Davis County has also had an economic impact. The area received 230,000 hunter day trips before the marshes went under water. That was important to the economy of Davis County, Mr. Hutchings said. There was a lot of money generated from the hunters and now that money is spent elsewhere. Although no one knows when the lake will begin to recede, Mr. Hutchings said the state is looking forward to restoration of the eight state waterfowl areas. This year a state waterfowl stamp was initiated to generate money which will be used for preservation, development and restoration of wetlands in Utah. At today's price, the reconstruction of Farmington Bay, Herald Drake, Bear River, West Bear River Bay Marshes, West Bay Marshes, Lake Front Marshes, Southshore Marshes, Howard Slough, Ogden Bay and Locomotive Springs will cost between $14 and $20 million. The division has the year 2000 in mind for reconstruction. It it does occur, the design w ill be different from how it was, w hich will allow for greater management, Mr. Hutchings said. The wetlands around the Great Salt Lake were originally developed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps They were designed to provide resting, feeding and a migratory place for waterfowl. Since then hunting, birdwatching, trapping and educational tours have been added to their use. But the needs of the waterfowl were always number one," Mr. Hutchings said. Once the lake recedes, reconstruction of the sites will take five to 10 years, Mr. Hutchings said. The areas will have to be flushed and drained to leech salt and other toxic elements out of the soil. Reseeding the area must also be done. And then if the management is good, the birds will come right back, he said. |