Overview
- University of Utah geophysicists used a helicopter-borne electromagnetic scan to map fresh groundwater under Farmington Bay on the lake’s east side.
- The findings, published in February in Scientific Reports, show freshwater saturating sediments from about 100 meters to roughly 4 kilometers deep.
- The survey covered only about 10 square miles along 10 flight lines, so the reservoir’s reach and volume across the basin remain unknown.
- Researchers say the water sits in sand and gravel with slow recharge, which points to small, local use to wet dusty playa rather than large-scale pumping.
- Clumps of reed-covered mounds that appeared on the dried lakebed led to the search, highlighting a possible tool to curb toxic dust that blows into nearby communities.