2016 Salt Lake County Watershed Symposium

Anthropogenic Impacts on the Utah Lake Ecosystem Using GIS Spatial Analysis
Utah Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the United States west of the Mississippi River. Utah Lake and its surrounding wetlands are critical for fish and wildlife resources, flood mitigation, and recreation. However, the ecosystem is under increasing stress due to urban, industrial, and agricultural runoff from an expanding population that now exceeds 500,000 people in Utah Valley. Different types of land use, such as animal farming, mining, and agricultural activities, have impacted Utah Lake water quality significantly. In this project, I propose to use historical images of the Utah Lake ecosystem and available water quality data for Utah Lake to access how land use has changed over time, how these human related activities have affected water quality, and track various pollution sources to Utah Lake. The historical images sourced from Google Earth, Landsat imagery and high resolution LiDAR data will be used to evaluate the land use change around Utah Lake using GIS (Geographic Information System) spatial analysis techniques. In addition, water quality data from previous research projects I was involved in will be used in the mapping process to track water pollution sources to Utah Lake over time. Upon completion of this project, I will be able to:
1. Map how land use and population have changed around Utah Lake since pioneer settlement
2. Spatially assess the pollution sources to Utah Lake
3. Suggest how to change and manage the current land use around Utah Lake in order to protect Utah Lake water quality
This project will provide useful maps and visualizations of spatial information of human impacts on the Utah Lake ecosystem. Utah faces a future that includes population growth and climate change, both of which potentially influence the region’s hydrologic system and therefore can affect water availability and quality necessary for human consumption and use. This project will help us to understand how anthropogenic activities have impacted the Utah Lake ecosystem visually, and provide insights for state agencies to implement meaningful water and land-use management plans in the region.