Abstract

The water quality of Utah Lake is of great importance to agriculture, recreation, and wildlife. The Utah Lake Simulation Model (LKSIM) was created to accurately predict changes in water quality parameters. However, a potential limitation of LKSIM is the age of the underlying data which was gathered from 1930 to 1980. New sample data were collected from March 2009 through May 2011. Samples were taken from 13 tributaries, the Jordan River Outlet, and various wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Upon dividing the collected data points into seasons and plotting them in Microsoft Excel, trendline equations were produced. These equations correlated TDS and ion concentrations with flow and their respective times of the year. The new equations were compared with the old LKSIM equations by plotting them both against the collected, sample data points. The new trendline equations and mean values proved their worth by generating more accurate predictions of TDS and ion concentrations according to the sample data. However, further studies on the other tributaries of Utah Lake to determine their effect on the water quality may be of value. Also, future sampling from the tributaries of this study may be beneficial in gauging the accuracy of the equations and mean values that were found.

Degree

MS

College and Department

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology; Civil and Environmental Engineering

Rights

http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2012-03-13

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd5098

Keywords

utah lake, LKSIM

Language

English

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