KAYSVILLE — A “stable, reliable source of funding” of several million dollars annually should be earmarked for the Great Salt Lake.

That is among the recommendations of the Great Salt Lake Advisory Council, created last year by then-Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr.

But acting chair Leland Myers, manager of the Central Davis Sewer District, here, noted that a final recommendations section says such funding is needed.

It would be necessary in part to support creation of a permanent Great Salt Lake Council: for “limited administrative support, acquiring necessary scientific data, and funding conservation, education, and restoration projects.”

“Generally speaking, the state needs a comprehensive outlook for the Great Salt Lake, and a home for a group that is going to look over, overall issues,” Myers said.

That includes the ability to be able to fund research to “find what those answers are, to act in an advisory, resource role,” he said.

The group held a meeting last week with state EPA officials where lake-related wetlands were discussed.

“They (EPA) are looking at assessment technology, with that driven by concerns the existing wetlands may be in peril,” Myers said.

“There is not nearly enough research to determine whether or not what we see is as good as it’s going to get, or as it should be,” he said, speaking of the current wetlands structure.

A “little snapshot” was presented on the Great Salt Lake watershed, which includes the lake, all of the Weber and Bear Rivers, as well as Utah Lake and the Jordan River – all of which impact the lake, Myers said.

“The dilemma we face is, in order to fix the Jordan River, the potential exists where we have to fix any issues relative to Utah Lake or we can’t clean up anything additional,” he said.

“That includes getting rid of carp in Utah Lake,” Myers said, “in addition to the potential of spending $300 million to $400 million in waste treatment water upgrades, and (about) $200 million in Utah County.”

With a study due out the end of this year more firmly pinpointing those numbers, he added that “a half billion dollars” could be spent in Salt Lake County on treatment upgrades to fix all of the water treatment plants, and $400 million to $700 million to purchase open space” to repair wetlands, where needed, he continued.

Beyond that, he estimated another “couple hundred million dollars to fix up all the impaired habitat on the Jordan River, plus storm water” treatment.

“Then you can get some reasonably clean water out to Farmington Bay, plus spend $150 million to $200 million on wastewater treatment plants in Davis County,” Myers estimated.

But all of this treatment would impact brine shrimp, whose population “would collapse, they need some nutrients for algae to grow, provide food for the birds – those are the kinds of issues that deserve some study,” he said.

Myers related watching a colony of sea gulls on an island in the Great Salt Lake. “Except for one gull, they were all eating brine shrimp. The birds are really dependent on that food source.”

A loss of brine shrimp would not only remove an important food source for birds, but also impact several dozen brine shrimp companies tied to production from the lake.

“We ought to at least have studies in place to know” what the impact of various efforts could be, Myers said.

And even if a commission is not set up, he said “at least significant money ought to be given to the Division of Water Quality or Department of Forestry, Fires and State Lands to produce enough studies to understand the lake.”

For more information on the recommendations or advisory council, visit www.gslcouncil.utah.gov.

tbusselberg@davisclipper.com