Mineral firm seeks more ponds at lake

A company that extracts minerals from the Great Salt Lake wants more room to work along the lake.

Great Salt Lake Minerals Corp. is asking for approval for solar evaporation ponds on 75,000 acres, mostly along the lake's northwest arm.

The company says it is withdrawing a 2007 application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that had sought to develop 33,000 acres of the lake. A new application includes 31,000 acres from the earlier request, plus another 44,000 acres.

Company spokesman Dave Hyams says the expanded request is an attempt to meet growing demands for sulfate of potash, a specialty fertilizer.

The solar ponds are used to extract minerals for the fertilizer. The company already operates about 43,000 acres of solar ponds at the lake.