Certainly, the Great Salt Lake is one of Utah’s crown jewels — though perhaps the least understood. The Transcript-Bulletin’s editorial, “What’s in the Great Salt Lake should not be a mystery” (April 28) makes many good points. It, however, leaves an overall impression that a new mercury study is the only thing being done to evaluate water quality on the Great Salt Lake. That’s certainly not the case.

For the past five years, the Utah Division of Water Quality, in cooperation with a magnificent group of scientists and stakeholders, has focused more attention on understanding this mysterious water body, at least from a water quality perspective. With the help of grants and other funding, DWQ has devoted roughly $3 million to evaluating whether water quality pollutants have caused negative impacts to this internationally important ecosystem.

For example, last year, DWQ completed a four-year collaborative study to develop a selenium standard for Great Salt Lake to protect the lake’s extensive bird population. This is the first such numeric pollutant standard devised for the lake. To develop this standard, DWQ brought together world renowned experts in selenium toxicity, who identified key scientific uncertainties that needed to be addressed to understand the effect of selenium on the lake’s birds. Answering these questions proved expensive and time consuming due to the lake’s unique physical and chemical processes.

This selenium study and others under way are beginning to shed light on what we need to do to protect the lake for future generations. It is also becoming increasingly clear that we need to know more about how water quality is impacting this ecosystem. Potentially troubling indicators, such as large algae blooms in Farmington Bay, have already been observed, but it is not clear whether these conditions are due to human-caused pollution or simply natural processes that occur in a terminal lake.

Interestingly, the lake has historically been enigmatic to water quality managers for many of the same reasons that it warrants our attention — it is unique. On average, the lake is three to five times saltier than the ocean, yet salt concentrations vary extensively from place to place and year to year. Salt concentrations alter processes that can affect how pollutants interact in the environment.

The Great Salt Lake’s high salt concentrations are also one of the primary reasons for the lake’s unique food web. Few species are found within the lake. However, those that occur are important both ecologically and economically — supporting a multi-million dollar brine shrimp industry. The unique species that occupy the lake also present challenges from a water quality perspective because they differ significantly from the species used to derive water quality standards that protect freshwater organisms.

The Great Salt Lake is the ultimate depository of water-borne pollutants produced by the majority of Utah’s citizens. It is critical that we understand if and how these pollutants impact aquatic life and recreation uses. To gain this understanding will require continued commitment by DWQ, and all of Utah’s citizens who benefit from the unique characteristics of this water body.

Walt Baker is the director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Quality.