Great Salt Lake Water Quality Strategy Update Jake Vander Laan November 16, 2017

DWQ’s Vision for Great Salt Lake Provide important recreational, ecological, and economic benefits for current and future generations. Photograph Courtesy of Charles Uibel - greatsaltlakephotos.com

GSL Background Ecological importance Migratory and nesting bird populations Unique resident biota Brine shrimp Brine flies Wetlands Microbialites Economic importance ($1.3 billion annually) Human health – air quality

Background GSL is cooperatively managed: State and federal agencies, input from private stakeholders Causeways divide the lake into 4 main bays, water chemistry and biota vary

Clean Water Act & GSL Clean Water Act (1972) Objective: “Restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” Establishes structure for: Establishing water quality standards Assessing beneficial use attainment Regulating pollutant discharges

Clean Water Act & GSL 1. Identify Beneficial Uses for Water Bodies 2. Identify Water Quality Standards to meet Beneficial Uses 3. Regulate Point Source Discharges 4. Monitor Water Quality 5. Assess waters (305b Integrated Report) and List (303d list) waters that do not meet Water Quality Standards 6. Identify sources and necessary reductions of pollutants. Identify a plan to reduce pollutants – feeds back to regulation

Clean Water Act & GSL Define beneficial uses Monitor water quality Reduce pollution sources Identify pollution sources Assess use support

GSL Beneficial Uses Primary and secondary contact recreation Waterfowl, shore birds and other water-oriented wildlife including their necessary food chain

Clean Water Act & GSL Define beneficial uses Water quality criteria Monitor water quality Define beneficial uses Reduce pollution sources Identify pollution sources Assess use support Water quality criteria

Clean Water Act & GSL Additional challenges : Analytical methods for hypersaline waters Lack of baseline water quality data Presence of unique organisms with unknown toxicity responses

Water Quality Standards Numeric Standard: Measurable level of a particular chemical or conditions allowable in a water body Gilbert Bay Selenium egg tissue criterion (12.5 mg/kg dry wt) Others in development Narrative Standard: Narrative statement that establishes water quality goals and makes significant negative impacts on water quality illegal

Utah’s Narrative Water Quality Standard “It shall be unlawful, and a violation of these rules, for any person to discharge or place any waste or other substance in such a way as will be or may become offensive such as: unnatural deposits, floating debris, oil, scum or other nuisances such as color, odor or taste; or cause conditions which produce undesirable aquatic life or which produce objectionable tastes in edible aquatic organisms; or result in concentrations or combinations of substances which produce undesirable physiological responses in desirable resident fish, or other desirable aquatic life, or undesirable human health effects, as determined by bioassay or other tests performed in accordance with standard procedures; or determined by biological assessments in Subsection R317-2-7.3.”

GSL Water Quality Strategy Strategic monitoring Recreational use criteria Aquatic life use criteria Nutrient assessment Wetland program

GSL Water Quality Strategy Strategic monitoring Recreational use criteria Aquatic life use criteria Nutrient assessment Wetland program September 2014

GSL Water Quality Strategy Progress Report

Baseline Monitoring Program Implemented 2011 Biannual monitoring at 11 sites Goals: Establish baseline conditions Detect potential changes in pollutant concentrations

Baseline Monitoring Program Water chemistry: Nutrients Metals (Se, Hg, and others) Chlorophyll-a Biological monitoring: Brine shrimp Bird eggs Metal concentrations (Se, Hg, and others)

Interim Permitting Program Development of numeric criteria for all priority pollutants will take many years Interim permitting approach to protect GSL Preliminary screening of pollutant concentrations against freshwater criteria Whole effluent toxicity testing Technology based effluent limits

Interim Permitting Program Applied to all GSL dischargers Permits have not been appealed since implementation

Standards Development Selenium standard: Adopted in 2008 5+ years of development Most sensitive endpoint: bird reproduction 12.5 mg/kg dry weight in bird egg tissue Monitoring and assessment: Bird eggs collected as part of baseline monitoring program Assessed annually against selenium criterion

Standards Development Toxicity testing: Brine shrimp and brine flies Arsenic Copper Lead Laying ground work for future testing and standards

Toxicity Testing

Toxicity Testing

Metal concentration (ug/L) Toxicity Testing Metal concentration (ug/L) Survival rate (%)

Baseline Monitoring Results: Bird Eggs

Baseline Monitoring Results: Bird Eggs

Baseline Monitoring Results: Bird Eggs

Baseline Monitoring Results: Bird Eggs

GSL Water Quality Strategy Future Directions

Wetland Component

Wetland Component Conservation action plan meetings Ongoing GSL wetland work: Conservation action plan meetings Beneficial use definitions Use assessment methods Water quality standards Numeric Narrative

Nutrient Component What are nutrients? Why do we care? Any element required for production in an ecosystem Typically Nitrogen and Phosphorus in aquatic ecosystems Necessary ecosystem components, but Human activities can alter nutrient abundance Why do we care? Food-web alterations (when, where, and how much production) Can determine which organisms succeed Potential impacts on dissolved oxygen, pH, and other WQ parameters

Nutrient Component Need for GSL Nutrient Component: Point and non-point nutrient sources in GSL watershed Urban and agricultural land uses Municipal and industrial discharges Potential for nutrient load alterations, potential for ecological impacts Unique and valuable ecosystem Currently no nutrient criteria or assessment methods for GSL

Nutrients in GSL What do we know (or expect)? Terminal basin Relatively large internal nutrient pool and high nutrient concentrations Accumulation of organic material and importance of internal processing GSL bays components may have different responses to nutrients Spatial and temporal variation in nutrient concentrations

Gilbert Bay Surface Nutrients Nutrients in GSL Gilbert Bay Surface Nutrients Total N (mg/L) Total P (mg/L) *Data from USGS NWIS

Nutrients in GSL What do we want to know? GSL nutrient budget: inputs, exports, internal cycling and processing Representativeness and applicability of existing research Analytical method consistency Nitrogen and phosphorus Chlorophyll Dissolved oxygen, pH, and other potentially nutrient-related parameters Nutrient impacts on different ecosystem components Pelagic food webs Benthic food webs Wetlands Nutrient impacts: when, where, and how much?

QUESTIONS? jvander@utah.gov