- University of Utah researchers discovered a deep freshwater reservoir under Farmington Bay using electromagnetic data.
- The study, published in February, suggests the water could be used for mitigating dust pollution from the dried areas of the Great Salt Lake.
- Further research is needed to explore safe extraction and implications for regional water planning.
SALT LAKE CITY — The declining water levels of the Great Salt Lake have exposed 800 square miles of lake playa, becoming a major cause of concern and source of dust pollution blowing into Utah’s population centers.
But in a first-of-its-kind breakthrough that could have major implications for mitigating that pollution, geophysicists at the University of Utah used electromagnetic data from airborne surveys to locate a deep, freshwater reservoir under Farmington Bay.
The study demonstrated the ability of airborne electromagnetic survey methods to detect freshwater beneath the thin layer of conductive salt water at the surface of the Great Salt Lake, lead author Michael Zhdanov explained…