ASSESSMENT OF ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACT ON TRACE METAL CONCENTRATION IN UTAH LAKE WATER AND SEDIMENTS

Anthropocentric activities have historically introduced contaminants into Utah Lake. Since Utah Lake is a major recreational center, a major concern to users and regulatory agencies is the introduction of trace metals pollutants, which at elevated concentrations can be detrimental to the ecosystem of the Lake. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of human activities on the Lake with regards to toxic trace metal discharges. Utah Lake will be divided into different sections based on anthropocentric activities (areas of new development, older urban areas, industrialized areas, farming, mining operations and areas of waste water discharge). Sites where there are no human activities will be used as controls. Water and sediment core samples (up to 45 cm depth) will be collected in triplicates at each location. Samples will be acid digested in a microwave digester and analyzed for trace metal content (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, Mg, Mn, Zn and Co) in the ICP-OES. The results will be compared to the controls.To understand the mobility of trace metals at each site, particle size distribution, pH, organic matter content, dissolved oxygen, salinity and redox potentials will be determined. We hypothesize that trace metal concentrations will be highest at industrial sites which will decrease with increasing distance and older urbanized areas of the lake will have higher levels of trace metals due to effluent discharge from waste water treatment facilities and runoff from storm waters compared to newer developments. However, it will be interesting to learn the types of metal pollutants and their concentration in locations of mining and farming operations. The results of this study will assist regulatory agencies manage pollution discharges into Utah Lake.