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GARDEN CITY — A yearslong study of the health of Bear Lake is underway. Some organizations are hoping the data gathered could help protect the lake in the future.
Water is a precious resource, and so is Bear Lake, so two monitoring states collect real-time data on its health. Part of the purpose is to help with water management but also with the hope that the data can be used in the future to better protect the lake.
"We captured the big water inflow," David Cottle said. He is a board member and former executive director of Bear Lake Watch, a group dedicated to the lake's better health and future. "So some of the impacts of sediment, nutrients on the platform, which is one of the things we hope it will show."
The group sees what is happening to Utah's other big bodies of water and wants to prevent it from happening to Bear Lake.
"The Great Salt Lake is in crisis, Utah Lake is in crisis, Bear Lake is changing," Cottle said.
The crises at other lakes and the changes at Bear Lake are why the group pushed for the study platforms and looked for organizations to help fund them. The platforms are maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey, and so far, they've gathered six years of data but may end after this year.
Mike Hess, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said the data is mainly intended for water managers as the area faces an increasing population and an expected greater need for water. Groups like Bear Lake Watch will likely have their own use for the trove of data.
"It's just also of interest for the public out there that can monitor various parameters," Hess said.
And, he said, it helped monitor the impact of two very big Utah water years as the platforms watch for changes in depth, evaporation and water quality.
If nothing else, Cottle said they'll have a snapshot of the lake over six to seven years in case conditions change.
"We want to establish the scientific background to say we need help to prevent it from going any further," Cottle said.
Bear Lake Watch is working with the U.S. Geological Survey to put together a public presentation of the six years of data. What does it all mean? We will learn more later this year.
To see the data, visit usgs.gov/tools/bear-lake-water-quality-data-visualizations.
