WEST VALLEY CITY-- Decker Lake is so polluted it's not safe to swim in, a water-quality study concluded.
"You probably won't die," said Terry Way, a water-quality program manager for Salt Lake County. But there's an indication of the presence of pathogens that could be harmful to humans, he added.Although nobody swims in Decker Lake, people use it for kayaking, wading and fishing. The water quality is poor for those uses as well, officials say.
The lake, just east of I-215 at about 2700 South, is the focus of a years-long restoration effort that has caught the attention of Olympic organizers. Salt Lake County, which owns the lake, and West Valley City, which has a business park surrounding it, are working on the cleanup. But progress is slow.
There were mixed reactions to the findings of the two-year water-quality study conducted by EWP Engineering Inc. of Salt Lake City.
"Everybody is a little surprised that the water quality is so poor," said Russell Willardson, West Valley City's public works director.
The study showed that the bacteria level in Decker Lake is three times higher than the state standard for lakes in which boating is allowed. The phosphorus level, an indicator of the presence of fertilizers, is seven times higher than the standard.
Way wasn't too surprised at that. "We knew the bacteria would be high," he said. That's partly because Decker Lake is a 30-acre flood basin fed by a system of canals and storm drains.
Those pollutants are linked to urban runoff. That's water running off dirty streets into storm drains, picking up trash and pollution on the way.
Some residents, however, are blatantly dumping trash in the lake, the study found.
"The illicit and illegal dumping is most alarming," West Valley City Engineer Trace Robinson told the City Council Thursday.
Then there are people who unknowingly contribute to the pollution.
People who change their oil are dumping it into the storm drains, which empty into the lake, said Karen Nichols, the project manager of Decker Lake for EWP Engineering. The lake is polluted, but a change in such habits could lead to a healthier, improved lake, she added.
Nichols's water-quality study is the latest in a $1.6 million restoration effort. Five years ago, county crews dredged the lake to deepen the water and build and stabilized the banks.
West Valley officials are faced with a federal mandate that requires them to control runoff much like Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County have done.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to implement a second phase of the Clean Water Act's stormwater rules. They require cities in urban areas to develop stormwater management plans to protect lakes and streams. Fifty-six cities in Utah now fall under that requirement.
The act essentially forces cities to develop a stormwater management program.