21 Facts About Utah Lake

1.

Utah Lake is a shallow freshwater lake in the center of Utah County, Utah, United States.

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2.

Utah Lake stayed with the Timpanogots band of Ute Tribe for three days.

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3.

Utah Lake is one of three lakes in the state that were deemed "navigable" at statehood and granted to the State of Utah.

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4.

Utah Lake is a remnant of a much larger pleistocene lake called Lake Bonneville, which existed from 75,000 to 8,000 years ago.

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5.

At its peak 30,000 years ago, Utah Lake Bonneville reached an elevation of 5,090 feet above sea level and had a surface area of 19,800 square miles, which was nearly as large as Utah Lake Michigan.

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6.

Utah Lake contains a small island called Bird Island, about 2.

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7.

Utah Lake watershed drains 3,846 square miles over mostly mountainous terrain.

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8.

Utah Lake is drained by the Jordan River, which begins at the lake's north end.

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9.

Utah Lake was originally put on Utah's 2000 and 2004 303d list for phosphorus and total dissolved solids exceeding recommend values.

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10.

Utah Lake met in the village of Little Chief, who told them where the people responsible for the stealing were located.

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11.

Utah Lake wetland ecosystem is an important breeding area and stopover for migratory birds in the Pacific Flyway.

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12.

The Utah Lake Wetland Preserve has been established at the south end of Utah Lake.

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13.

Birds seen at Utah Lake include sandhill crane, double-crested cormorant, great horned owl, turkey vulture, golden eagle, cinnamon teal duck, and mallard duck.

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14.

Utah Lake estimated that 5000 barrels of fish could be secured annually from the fishery.

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15.

Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints elders sent members in the Salt Lake Valley to Utah Lake to obtain fish; an estimated 96,000 pounds of fish were brought back.

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16.

Utah Lake sculpin was last found in 1928 and likely became extinct in the 1930s after severe drought lowered the lake levels, allowing much of the lake to freeze, overcrowding fish in unfrozen portions of the lake.

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17.

Efforts are underway to reduce the population of carp in Utah Lake by employing local commercial fishermen, led by Bill Loy, Jr.

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18.

Utah Lake Commission has previously stated its goal is to remove 32 million pounds of carp from the lake, and more than 17 million pounds have been removed as of November 2019.

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19.

Ownership of lands along the shoreline of Utah Lake has been in dispute between the State of Utah and farmers for many years.

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20.

Utah Lake was closed due to contamination from toxic algae in 2016,2018, and 2019.

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21.

Purpose of the ULWQS is to gather data on the nutrient concentrations in Utah Lake and develop nutrient criteria to protect the ecosystem.

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