Great? Salt Lake not living up to its name

The lone landmark is an old wooden log, curiously stuck firmly in the lake bed about 1.5 miles from the causeway, and sticking up 10 feet above ground on a slant.

Walking toward the sandbar at top speed, it took 2 1/2 hours to reach the edge of Fremont Island. A herd of cows there seemed oblivious to the fact that freedom awaited them, if they simply walked across the sandbar. Although the cattle have walked through portions of what used to be Wenner Bay, they seem content on Fremont.

(Anyone wanting to explore Fremont Island should make prior arrangements with the landowner.)

Although U.S. Geological Survey maps list the sandbar at an elevation of 4,194 feet above sea level, it is at least a foot higher now. Gwynn doesn't discount that 40 years of sediment from the inflow of the Weber River might have raised the sandbar somewhat in the past 40 years.

Health risks?

In the short term, the lake's exposed mud flats — especially in Farmington Bay, west of Davis County's cities and towns — may yet pose health risks. Gwynn said the Environmental Protection Agency is analyzing the dust in Farmington Bay to determine if it has any toxic properties that could become airborne in windstorms.

When will the lake rise again? It does so seasonally every year.

Gwynn said it's usually late October or early November when the lake begins to rise. However, he's expecting it will be almost a half-foot lower next summer than it is now if the drought continues. The sandbar likely will turn wet again later this fall, not drying out again until at least next summer.

The lake's all-time low was about 4,191 feet in 1963. Its all-time high, at 4,212, was not all that long ago, in 1986-87.

---

Lynn Arave, Ryan Layton and Mike Spencer walked the approximate 16-mile round-trip distance along the sandbar, from the Antelope Island causeway to the edge of Fremont Island, on Sept. 27. E-mail: lynn@desnews.com