Mineral Precipitation In Utah Lake And Its Effluent Mixing Zones

Abstract

While public interest has grown in recent years to rehabilitate Utah Lake’s eutrophic condition, restoration efforts imposed on the lake will be most effective when they account for the lake’s internal processes. Mineral precipitation within the effluent mixing zones of Utah Lake was investigated through water, precipitate, and sediment analyses, including geochemical modeling and x-ray diffraction. While it may be possible for apatite to form in-situ, calcite is the only major mineral that actively precipitates in Utah Lake. Quantifying the rate of phosphorus coprecipitation with calcite is likely an essential aspect of characterizing total phosphorus cycling in Utah Lake.