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NAV WARNING - ICE BEGS
by Dave Shearer 02 Feb '11

02 Feb '11

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users. With the heavy influx of fresh water, very cold temperatures and now canyon winds, we have the perfect recipe for Ice Bergs on the lake. And this has happened. Large ice flows are bunching up in Bear River Bay. They are then forced through the bridge into the Great Salt Lake. We now have several ice bergs on the northern end of Great Salt Lake south of the railroad causeway. These bergs are about a mile long. Some of them are thinner than last weeks berg. Others are much taller as they build up ice pack before being pushed into the main body of Great Salt Lake. It is possible that these bergs could be pushed south into the Jordan River Current and head down the lake towards the more popular sailing grounds. It's all about the Sun Spots Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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Frozen Marina Day 2
by Dave Shearer 02 Feb '11

02 Feb '11

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users. The marina is now frozen solid. No point in coming out if you were planning on sailing today (or paddling, or kayaking, or sculling, OR SWIMMING). We will try to get Rescue One out today to break up the ice. This ice should pose no threat to your boats. Dave Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142 IMG00017-20110202-0926.jpg

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Marina Restrooms
by Dave Shearer 01 Feb '11

01 Feb '11

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users. The work being done on the restrooms at the marina is complete. The restrooms are now back open. The old rusting partitions were removed and new ones installed. Thank you, for your patience. Dave Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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Frozen Marina
by Dave Shearer 01 Feb '11

01 Feb '11

GSL Slip Renters. Thick ice has begun to form in the south basin of the marina. This should pose no threat to boats. But you may not be able to get out of your slips and go sailing for a few days. Once the wind stops blowing out here, we will take Rescue One and try to stir up the water and break the ice. Also, the wind chill is SO cold out here, you probably don't want to be here anyway. Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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Restrooms Closed starting Monday
by Dave Shearer 28 Jan '11

28 Jan '11

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users The restrooms at the marina will be closed Monday and likely all day Tuesday too. New partitions are being installed. Sorry for the inconvenience. They will be open all this weekend though. Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-250-1898

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Sunspots
by Dave Shearer 27 Jan '11

27 Jan '11

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users. Lake level January 27, 2010 = 4194.6 Lake level January 27, 2011 = 4194.8 Observed depth at the mouth today = 5.8' It's all about the sunspots! Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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Slip Rate Increase - NOT
by Dave Shearer 26 Jan '11

26 Jan '11

GSL Slip Renters, The legislature has met on the proposed PARKS rate increase which included a slip fee increase for all the marinas. They decided on to increase fees this year. This had very little impact on the marina though since we were granted a one year exemption on increases for wet storage. Dry storage fees will stay at 2010 rates. K dock will stay at the standard rate of $180.00 during the summer and $90.00 during the winter. (We have been told that, since K dock has mostly been replaced, it will go up to the standard 30' slip rate just like the rest of the 30' slips in the marina) The updated slip rates can be viewed at http://www.gslmarina.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=OQtfzJjXQOU%3d <http://www.gslmarina.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=OQtfzJjXQOU%3d&tabid=117 &mid=512> &tabid=117&mid=512 If you have been sending checks in with the new rate, you can go back to the old rate now. If you filled out an autopay form with us, do not worry. We have been charging you the 2010 slip/storage rates. Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-250-1898

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Navigation Hazard
by Dave Shearer 25 Jan '11

25 Jan '11

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users. A very large ice sheet (or berg) has broken off from the Bear River Bay area and is now heading for the main body of the lake. This Ice "Berg" is about two miles long, one mile wide and 4 to 5 inches thick. It is currently flowing in the Bear River Current pushing west from Fremont Island. It is unlikely that this "berg" will cause much problems for boating down towards us. But it is possible. This isn't the usual thin ice sheets we get down our way. It is very solid. Two scenarios for this current are 1) It flows along the Bear River current west into Carrington Bay and gets trapped in there. Or 2) it gets pushed south into the Jordan River Current and heads down the lake until it heads east along Eardley and back up towards the south end of Antelope Island. So just keep a look out for a solid ice pack or smaller bergs for the next few days. Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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Selenium in Great Salt Lake
by Dave Shearer 24 Jan '11

24 Jan '11

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users. Many of you may have noticed a pipeline being constructed along I-80. It appears this pipeline is for the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District to discharge selenium-tainted water into the Great Salt Lake. I do not claim to be an expert on this subject. But, if the levels may be harmful to humans or animals (I don't know), then the location of this pipeline worries me. Its proposed location for discharge is just east of Saltair. Thus my concern. The water discharged from this pipeline will likely be pushed towards the marina via the Goggins current. Below, I have posted an article written by Friends of Great Salt Lake that better explains this issue. FOGSL ARTICLE: Now Is Your Chance to Comment on the UPDES Permit Allowing JVWCD to Discharge Pollutants into GSL <http://www.fogsl.org/advocacy/current-issues/218-jordan-valley-draft-permit -ready-for-public-review?format=pdf> PDF <http://www.fogsl.org/advocacy/current-issues/218-jordan-valley-draft-permit -ready-for-public-review?tmpl=component&print=1&page=> Print <http://www.fogsl.org/component/mailto/?tmpl=component&link=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5m b2dzbC5vcmcvYWR2b2NhY3kvY3VycmVudC1pc3N1ZXMvMjE4LWpvcmRhbi12YWxsZXktZHJhZnQt cGVybWl0LXJlYWR5LWZvci1wdWJsaWMtcmV2aWV3> E-mail The Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District proposes a discharge of selenium-tainted water into Great Salt Lake via a 21-mile long pipeline. This proposed project poses many threats to the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem. We urge the public to submit comments to the Utah Division of Water Quality concerning the discharge permit for this project. Comments are due February 1, 2011. JVWCD Project Overview (an excerpt from the DWQ website <http://www.deq.utah.gov/Issues/hottopics/swjvgwtp/swjvgwtp.htm> ): "This project is a part of the larger groundwater cleanup project currently underway to clean up ground water contaminated from historic mining activities in the Oquirrh Mountains in southwest Salt Lake County. The cleanup project makes use of reverse osmosis, a process where high pressure forces contaminated water through a semi-permeable membrane. The contaminants are separated from the water as it moves through the membrane and are trapped. Drinking quality water is allowed to flow free. The byproduct water-primarily dissolved salts and traces of selenium-remains. The Utah Division of Water Quality received a request from Jordan Valley for a Utah Pollution Discharge Elimination System (UPDES) permit to discharge this byproduct water via a 21 mile pipeline running from the Jordan Valley facility in West Jordan to the mouth of Gilbert Bay along the south shore of the Great Salt Lake (see a Discharge Location Map <http://www.deq.utah.gov/Issues/hottopics/swjvgwtp/docs/ZoneBPlantConcentrat eDischargeOptions22210.pdf> ). UPDES permits are granted to facilities that demonstrate they can comply with the requirements of the Clean Water Act and the Utah Water Quality Act. UPDES permits include effluent limits and permit conditions that insure the beneficial uses of the receiving water are protected." Please help protect the Great Salt Lake by submitting comments to the Utah Division of Water Quality regarding this UPDES permit. Comments may be submitted in writing to: Kim Shelley, Environmental Engineer, Utah Division of Water Quality P.O. Box 144870 Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4870 kshelley(a)utah.gov This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Please read the press release <http://www.fogsl.org/images/stories/2010/JVWCDplan.pdf> and visit the DWQ website <http://www.deq.utah.gov/Issues/hottopics/swjvgwtp/swjvgwtp.htm> for more information about the project and to view the draft UPDES permit. Not sure what to include in your written comments? View Utah DEQ's tips for submitting public comments <http://www.deq.utah.gov/Public_Participation/makingcomments/onPermitsLicens es.htm> . Additional ideas are offered below. FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake has a number of concerns regarding this draft permit: Cumulative Impacts, Monitoring and Analysis - 1. If approved, the permit will approve a system that will be in place for at least 40 years. Although it will be evaluated and renewed every 5 years, it is possible that loading and concentrations from the mining contaminants could have significant impacts to wetlands along the Jordan River and Great Salt Lake where natural processes retain and recycle selenium and mercury. What happens if selenium levels begin to increase? What happens if methylation of mercury goes up or things begin to spin out of control? What are the alternatives to discharging into the Jordan River or Great Salt Lake? How will DWQ address Kennecott Utah Copper's (KUCC) Outfall 012 which is located within 50' of the JVWCD pipeline and is a tandem contributor of contaminants to the Lake? 2. The Comprehensive Sampling and Analysis Plan is Missing - A critical omission in the draft permit for public review is the Comprehensive Sampling and Analysis Plan. JVWCD is supposed to provide the Plan to the Executive Secretary of the Utah Water Quality Board by February 1st. Presumably the Plan would include the nuts & bolts of the sampling, monitoring, and analysis regimes for 001 Outfall (Gilbert Bay), the transitional wetlands created by this outfall, the open waters of Great Salt Lake, Outfall 002 (Jordan River), and wetlands along the river. Without the Plan we can only guess what the scope of monitoring and sampling will be, what metrics will be implemented, and who exactly is accountable for submitting detailed and timely reports to the Division for review. (The draft permit suggests coordination and "cooperation" with KUCC as a neighboring discharger in some sampling and monitoring activities). How are we supposed to know what accountability criteria are in place to ensure the protection of the resource, how these criteria reconcile with the draft permit, and who is overseeing what part of the sampling and monitoring? FRIENDS and members of the conservation community believe that under no circumstances should a discharge permit for JVWCD be approved without ample time to review and comment on the Comprehensive Sampling and Analysis Plan. Selenium 3. No Selenium Data Have Been Collected Since 2007 - The draft permit allows JVWCD to discharge a selenium concentration of .54 ug/L (ppb) through the 001 Outfall - the same concentration currently permitted by KUCC's 012 Outfall 50' away. This is not without contention from FRIENDS and other conservation interests. No data on selenium levels in the Lake or in bird tissue have been collected since 2007 when the work on a numeric standard for selenium was in progress. During that study period, increasing trends in selenium levels in Great Salt Lake were observed but monitoring did not continue after the standard was determined. Two very important areas that were not studied in the scope of work were groundwater sources and airborne deposition to the Lake. Dust events from Kennecott's tailings impoundment could be a contributing source of selenium to the Lake, but we don't know that because it was never studied. In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) identified a potential area of groundwater discharge of selenium along the south and eastern shore of Gilbert Bay in the vicinity of the Kennecott property. Further study by USGS to quantify and monitor the amount, source and chemical quality of this "missing" selenium load is in progress. It's clear that there is a significant knowledge gap about concentrations of selenium in the open waters of the Lake. In an attempt to encourage effective regulatory decisions to protect the resource, we recommend that the Division not approve the permit without first reviewing the USGS monitoring work. Ideally, more bird egg tissue analysis and water sampling would be added to the mix before the permit is approved. We would certainly like to see a lower selenium concentration level in the permit, as well as monitoring in the open waters of the Lake where loading or accumulation of these concentrations may occur. How Can the Division Allow for a Mixing Zone that Doesn't Exist? 4. Since 2007, the Lake level has dropped over 3' in elevation. The current lake level in Gilbert Bay is 4194.5'. The elevation of the 001 Outfall is 4208' - a 13.5' difference. JVWCD's selenium discharge of .54 ug/L is supposed to be diluted by 2:1 with water from Great Salt Lake in a "mixing zone" that extends for 200' beyond the end-of-pipe discharge point. The theory is that the concentration of the contaminants is cut in half in a mixing zone. Mixing zone models typically come from river systems where flows are constant and a certain area for mixing the contaminants is required. Since the discharge currently flows in an open channel that extends over 3/4 of a mile from the end of the proposed discharge point to the open waters of the Lake, with no other water flowing into it, it's impossible for any mixing to occur within that channel, let alone within the first 200' from the end of the pipe. (Another red flag here). This condition creates a problem because it exposes undiluted contaminants to the soils, biota and wildlife attracted to this manmade "transitional wetland." Many scientists have suggested that this transitional wetland - which in effect constitutes an attractive freshwater nuisance for birds - should not exist. We agree. Relying on a mixing zone under these conditions is problematic at best. We know this from our work on the Kennecott UPDES permit for the 012 Outfall. The Division should find a better way to ensure that the selenium concentration is effectively diluted. Perhaps more water for mixing within the pipeline is the answer but the uncertainty of this condition is untenable. Mercury 5. Currently there is no water quality standard for mercury in Great Salt Lake. We know that 3 species of ducks that use the Lake are in trouble because of high concentrations of methylmercury in their tissue. To date, JVWCD has not fully characterized the total and methylmercury concentrations in Zone B or the shallow aquifer of the Jordan River. Expert resources have raised concerns about the possibility that methylation of the waste stream might actually occur in the pipeline. Upon approval of the draft UPDES permit, JVWCD will have one year to fully characterize the aquifer. We think this is a cart before the horse arrangement and the permit should not be approved until this information has been reviewed by DWQ and the public. Dave Shearer

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Polar Bear Cup Forecast
by Dave Shearer 24 Jan '11

24 Jan '11

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users. Polar Bear Cup race is this Saturday. It looks like the race will start around 10:30am. That should mean we will be done around noon or 1pm. So that should put the Clam Chowder feast around 1pm. Forecast for that day Saturday 29-Jan Detailed Forecast Morning weather condition Mostly sunny. Winds from the NNE at 6 mph. High: 33 °F Low: 22 °F Rain: 0 in Snow: 0 in Total Precipitation: 0 in Chance of Precipitation: 3% Afternoon weather condition Mostly sunny. Winds from the WSW at 6 mph. High: 38 °F Low: 35 °F Rain: 0 in Snow: 0 in Total Precipitation: 0 in Chance of Precipitation: 3% Evening weather condition Mainly clear. Winds from the SSE at 8 mph. High: 35 °F Low: 30 °F Rain: 0 in Snow: 0 in Total Precipitation: 0 in Chance of Precipitation: 4% Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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