Lake Powell, one of Utah's biggest recreational draws, made the news last summer as one of the state's biggest toilets.
Several beaches were closed at least 11 times because of elevated levels of fecal coliform - the microbial menace found in human feces.Senate Minority Leader Scott Howell, D-Granite, wants to change all that. He plans to introduce in the 1996 Legislature a bill that would set aside state money to help clean up the lake and its crappy image.
You might say Howell wants to stop Powell from being foul.
"I love Lake Powell," said Howell. "We are a Lake Powell family. We go there every year."
And Howell, like most people, doesn't like the idea of swimming around in soiled waters.
"One of my neighbors went down there and got very ill. That motivated me even more to do something about it," said Howell.
But Lake Powell was created by a federally funded dam and is now part of a national recreational area . . . so why not let the National Park Service deal with it?
Although the feds are responsible for "providing for the enjoyment" of the park to the public, the jurisdiction for water quality rests solely with the state, Howell said.
Plus, he noted, in a time when states are trying to assert more control over public lands, it makes sense that Utah should foot some of the bill for water pollution in a national park.
A state-federal task force met this fall to discuss possible solutions. In a meeting earlier this month, the task force announced several solutions, including increased education of visitors, installing floating dump stations and contracting with private companies that would provide mobile flushout services.
The problem is threefold. First, too many people are relieving themselves on a limited number of beaches in areas that are sometimes inundated by the rising waters of the lake. Second, many boaters illegally dump waste and wastewater from boats directly into the lake. Third, many owners of recreational vehicles will discharge their waste loads into the sand rather than leave their camping spot for a dumping station.
Joe Alston, superintendent of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, said the solution will deal with each of these problems.
Howell agrees with a multi-pronged effort. "We can't just throw potties" at the problem, he said.
The senator, however, did not know how much money the state should contribute. He said he plans to study the issue in more depth in January.