First off, I would like to thank SEMA for taking the lead on restoring the Salt.
Second, pumping will never work until the drains are plugged. The wording gets a bit confusing when refering to the ditches as "historic", makes it sound like something to be preserved.
Now, my side;
I am under the impression that restoring the surface is included in the mining lease. Monies have been banked and bonds posted to do just that. Therefore, it is the reponsibility of the LEASE HOLDER and the LEASE GRANTOR.
Ask Congress for taxpayer monies? Sure, throw buckets of money in the air. See how little actually hits the ground, er, Salt.
Plug the drain and pump away,
Sam
#6062
PS. This is the full text;
"I write to ask for your help in restoring the Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF). This unique geologic formation has served as the backdrop for movies, commercials and photos, and is a magnet for tourists. However, Bonneville is most well-known for its role in the history of motorsports, having served as a preeminent race venue until recent years.
Located on the Utah/Nevada border near Wendover, Utah, the Bonneville salt basin covers an area about 65 miles long and 25 miles wide. The salt flats are a national treasure and have been hallowed grounds for motorsports enthusiasts since 1914, when racers discovered that it was the perfect surface for keeping tires cool while setting land speed records. While hundreds of records have been set and broken in a variety of automotive classes, the conditions at Bonneville have deteriorated since the 1960s.
The Bonneville Salt Flats Race Track (encompassing 36,650 acres) is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. In 1986, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) designated 30,203 acres as an "Area of Critical Environmental Concern" (ACEC) and a Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA). Despite these designations, the salt crust has steadily deteriorated as documented in a 1997 U.S. Geological Survey report, which concluded that the maximum salt-crust thickness had declined from 7 feet in 1960 to 5.5 feet in 1988. Today, the current surface is measured in inches rather than feet, and the 13-mile race track is now less than 8 miles.
A major contributor to the decline was a decision by the BLM in the 1960s to issue potash mining leases which allowed salt brine to be legally transferred off-site for potash extraction without returning some of the salt byproduct. Thanks to the current mining company, a strong pumping program is now sending salt brine to the racing area. However, the volume needs to be increased to overcome decades of neglect.
The current annual pumping level is approximately 400,000-600,000 tons of salt. Which has slowed degradation but is not enough to reverse the loss of salt. To restore Bonneville volumes of salt brine need to reach 1.5-2.0 million tons of salt per year for at least 10 years. This would return the BSF to its Historic Registry, ACEC and SRMA status and standards. These volumes are based on a 5-year test program from 1997-2002 which averaged 1.2 million tons and began to expand the salt flats.
It is imperative that Congress lead the way in helping provide the funding for the infrastructure needed to achieve the goal. Salt pumping, combined with other modifications to the historic berms, channels, and other man-made changes to the BSF, will ensure the return of the historic salt crust.
I appreciate your support for restoring the Bonneville Salt Flats and look forward to your response."
