Abstract
To investigate the hydrology of Utah Lake, we analyzed the hydrogen (δ2H) and oxygen (δ18O) stable isotope composition of water samples collected from the various components of its system. The average δ2H and δ18O values of the inlets are similar to the average values of groundwater, which in turn has a composition that is similar to winter precipitation. This suggests that snowmelt-fed groundwater is the main source of Utah Valley river waters. In addition, samples from the inlets plot close to the local meteoric water line, suggesting that no significant evaporation is occurring in these rivers. In contrast, the lake and its outlet have higher average δ-values than the inlets and plot along evaporation lines, suggesting the occurrence of significant evaporation. Isotope data also indicate that the lake is poorly mixed horizontally, but well mixed vertically. Calculations based on mass balance equations provide estimates for the percentage of input water lost by evaporation (~47%), for the residence time of water in the lake (~0.5 years), and for the volume of groundwater inflow (~700 million m3) during the period April to November. The short water residence time and the high percentage of total inflow coming from groundwater might suggest that the lake is more susceptible to groundwater pollution than to surface water pollution.
Highlights
Utah Lake is, by surface area, the third largest natural freshwater lake in the western US
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the hydrology of the lake via oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope analysis of water samples collected from the different components of the Utah Lake system
New data are presented here on the hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope composition of water from the hydrologic system of Utah Lake, one of the largest natural freshwater lakes in the western US and a crucial water resource for the ~500,000 people living in Utah Valley
Summary
Utah Lake is, by surface area, the third largest natural freshwater lake in the western US. When at its highest level, the lake is ~39 km long and ~21 km wide and has a surface area of ~390 km2 [1] It is a very shallow lake (its maximum and average depths are ~6 m and ~3 m, respectively) having eutrophic, turbid, slightly saline and alkaline water [2]. Its floor is composed almost entirely of alluvium while the mountains east and west of the lake are made of bedrock dominated by carbonate lithologies [2]. The principal constituent of its sediment is calcium carbonate, which precipitates by evaporative concentration and by the activity of algae and microorganisms and accumulates at rates of
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