Is Utah Lake polluted? Opinions vary

PROVO — There are so many causes surrounding Utah Lake that it's hard to keep track of them all.

There's the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program, dedicated to restoring the endangered population of June sucker fish that are native to the lake's waters.

There are the people responsible for removing tons of dead carp from the Provo River, where the fish become stranded during drought years when lower water levels cause the fish to swim upstream.

There are parties on both sides of a boundary dispute involving the Utah Lake shoreline, which has resulted in a federal court appointing a negotiator to arbitrate the disagreement.

There are several organizations that are trying to decide what to do with Utah Lake, which is an obstacle to residential development on its west side.

There's a plethora of groups that are concerned with pollution levels in Utah Lake — such as the self-appointed group calling itself the Utah Lake Restoration Project.

Whew. Yet the list goes on.

"There are people out there asking for money and a million different ways to clean up this lake," said Ty Hunter, who manages Utah Lake State Park. "But I've had (legislators) pull me aside and tell me that this lake is clean. It just looks dirty."

For his part, Hunter agrees that it's not a good idea to dump any more chemicals in Utah Lake's shallow waters — but he disagrees with critics about pollution levels in the lake.

The Utah Lake Restoration Project — run by local residents Daniel Bolz and Rick Kinateder — insist that the lake will "just dry up and go away" by 2189 unless an autonomous Utah Lake Authority is put in place.

"Our mission is to restore Utah Lake, the jewel of Utah County, or as it is, a diamond in the rough," Bolz said.

But lots of people still stand behind Utah Lake's water quality, although they concede that the now-defunct Geneva Steel did contribute some minor pollution to the water before closing three years ago.

Provo historian D. Robert Carter notes that the lake's water is graded Class 2 — meaning it is safe for recreation activities, but not safe for drinking.

And yes, there is a Class 3. Such water is not safe for recreation or consumption.