Returning home from work recently, I drove by Utah Lake, and the beauty of the evening light settling on its waters made me stop to experience the view. As I looked across the quiet expanse of water, I thought about how we, the good residents of Utah, have failed in our guardianship of this unique natural resource.
Among the many abuses the lake has suffered at our hands is that we have turned this beautiful jewel into part of our sewage system. For what reason? To save a few dollars. Because it has an economic benefit, for years we have dumped nutrient-laden sewer effluent into the Lake, and now the aggressive growth of algae has made its waters so poisonous that it is a danger to dogs and little children.
Now I understand that to solve the damage we have visited on the lake, some people are considering a unique solution. This solution would create residential subdivisions in the Lake that will have paved roads with oil residue, and homes that will produce more sewer effluent, and lawns that will be laden with pesticides. And this questionable solution is being considered for the same reason we used to severely damage the Lake in the first place … because it makes even more money.
As I looked across the vast waters of this gift to the people of Utah, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi river, I saw the Wasatch mountains reflecting on its still surface, and I wondered why can’t enough people see this beauty, and why can’t they see its nonmonetary value, and it breaks my heart.
Joel Kester, Alpine