Saving the Salt

[hutchamatic]

http://www.gearheads4life.com/columns/guest-column-the-shrinking-salt-speedway-part-1/

[Bob Drury]

  Before anyone else accuses me of "fanning the fire" and although this post would normally not belong in this giant cauldron of topics,  I read in this mornings Portland, Oregon newspaper, The Oregonian, a small article stating two lawsuits have been filed In Federal Court by those "pesky environmentalists" of which I stated in a earlier post that I consider my self to be a environmentalist but far from a "tree hugger".  I, like you want to preserve The Salt Flats, breath clean air, etc.
  The only reason I am posting this is to make all of us aware that We all have the right to fight back against Big Brother if waranted.
  The first suit is against the U.S. Forest Service for not enforcing the rules that basically call for them to allow permit grazing of cattle in protected areas as long as no environmental damage ensues.  The suit alleges that despite evidence that the permit holders are allowing grazing in streams, they haven't enforced the federal rules and that amongst other things is harming  the protected fisheries.  This suit in my opinion is part of a many year ongoing problem, but it does show that Government Agencies must follow the law.
  The second suit seems somewhat frivolous and names the Bureau of Reclamation over claims that two Federal Dams are endangering "spotted frogs". At first read I started shaking my head in disbelief.  Upon a few minutes of pondering I got to thinking (not a good sign) and it came to me that these might by my distant relatives from a couple of thousand generations back.  After shedding a tear or two, I turned to the Comic section and took a slurp of cold coffee.
                                                                                                       Ol' One Run, out................

[Dakin Engineering]

Is this the "new math" I keep hearing about?

.....The Bureau of Land Management says its studies don't show any salt depletion. BLM's West Desert District Manager Kevin Oliver told ABC 4 News, "We believe, the science shows, that we're ensuring that more salt is returned to the salt flats than is taken out by the mining company."....

Oh, that must mean the Salt is getting thicker, right?
Some right funny "science" there.

Sam
#6062

[manta22]

Is this the "new math" I keep hearing about?

.....The Bureau of Land Management says its studies don't show any salt depletion. BLM's West Desert District Manager Kevin Oliver told ABC 4 News, "We believe, the science shows, that we're ensuring that more salt is returned to the salt flats than is taken out by the mining company."....

Oh, that must mean the Salt is getting thicker, right?
Some right funny "science" there.

Sam
#6062

This is total nonsense-- BLM can subtract X from Y and Y does not get any smaller? Didn't something similar happen in the Bible? 

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Elmo Rodge]

Introduction to Gummint 101.  Wayno

[Ron Gibson]

Just out of curiosity, can someone who knows, tell me specifically where Intrepid pumps it's brine from? Is it shallow wells or out of the ditches or where? I always presumed they pulled it out of the ditches but I've been wrong before.

Ron

[Dakin Engineering]

Gaining traction; Kansas City local news (KCTV5.com) had this story this morning.

Cancelled Utah race renews fears of shrinking salt flats

By MICHELLE L. PRICE
Associated Press

Sam
#6062

[robfrey]

Just out of curiosity, can someone who knows, tell me specifically where Intrepid pumps it's brine from? Is it shallow wells or out of the ditches or where? I always presumed they pulled it out of the ditches but I've been wrong before.

Ron

I was wondering the same thing.

[DallasV]

Terry Nish talking about the salt on our local news

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=35651014

[kiwi belly tank]

There are a number of pumps on the high ground to the north west of the flats that pump from the water table into the canals that feed the plant. The outlet on them is about 3ft & I would guess there is probably about six of them.
There is also a shallow underground stream that flows across the flats about 1 1/2 miles east of lands end in the direction of the plant. I don't know if they suck off that but my guess would be yes.
  Sid.

[SPARKY]

We used to campout just down wind of one of the pumps until they closed the roads--made for good sleeping "white noise"

[Geo]

Article on Yahoo. Does not quite follow the discussion here. Most interesting are the comments.  Wonder if this is how the non-LSRs view the Salt Flats and if this is the view held by most people then marketing is needed to get a different view point set.

http://news.yahoo.com/cancelled-utah-race-renews-fears-shrinking-salt-flats-075813274--spt.html

Geo

[Ron Gibson]

Malcomb
  I'm not an engineer but I'll try to explain as I see it. The salt flats is a gentle basin as your kitchen sink is. The salt washes to the low spot ( the race track location ) and self levels due to wind and water action.
  If you cover the bottom of your sink with a heavy layer of salt and wet it, it will be crusty and hard. If you sprinkle the salt heavily every couple of days, the water will dissolve salt and it will flow to the low spot. The "DRAIN" in your sink and  aka "INTREPIDS PUMP" on the salt. Eventually the salt at the edges will get washed away and run to the low spot and go down the 'DRAIN / INTREPIDS PUMPS' and the area of salt gets smaller and the salt at the center "Race track" gets thinner. If the area is reduced by half , the depletion rate for what is left doubles. As the salt in your sink gets smaller and thinner but the amount that goes down the "DRAIN / INTREPIDS PUMPS" stays the same, the rate will seem to increase depletion to the extent there is no salt left. "ABOUT" where we are now.
  Heavy rains some years accelerates the problem which has been happening for decades. Finally the only salt that's left is at the low spot and thin, "NOW". In my estimation the salt we have been racing on did not come from under ground deposits as some would have us think. If you stand on the salt and look all around at the mountains, you can see the ancient water water level way up on them. When that water evaporates (due to "HOLY COW" ) global warming, thousands of years ago, the salt left was on the surface. The people, not sure there,s intelligent life, that are investigating the salt loss by coring, in my estimation, have no clue.
  I wasn't there but it is my understanding that when the old timers are talking about the salt being "feet thick", they are talking about the UPPER CRUST of salt. Why would they give a crap about what layers lie under and in what order. Mickey ran 24 hour endurance trials on the salt on a IIRC a 20 mile circular track. Guarantee you, that couldn't have been done since I've first went to the salt in 74.
  I'm sure before they first started mining, way back when, they took core samples or at least bore holes to find out how much material was there to see if it was worth mining. Would love to see the results of those cores. Probably had them destroyed so nothing can be proven against them. Notice the conspiracy theory?
  I'm upset because we can't race and may never be able to again (not holding my breath) but I'M p!ssed off that an industry with their political contributions to corrupt politicians can destroy a National Landmark.
  End of rant. Back to your regularly scheduled whatever.

Ron

[dano]

Article on Yahoo. Does not quite follow the discussion here. Most interesting are the comments.  Wonder if this is how the non-LSRs view the Salt Flats and if this is the view held by most people then marketing is needed to get a different view point set.

Every yahoo on Yahoo! can comment on any "news" they post.  The idiots and trolls come out of the wood work.

[maj]

Ron as a farmer in the NE Victoria AU salt is a potential issue to us, and nearby its a real threat,
but the land can be farmed on if its managed right
to keep the salt from the surface you drain it, esp if you can irrigate or have good rainfall  , it keeps pushing the salt lower in the soil profile or taken away by the drains
but if the land is left to its self ,the salt rises as subterranian  salty water evaporates from the surface and leaves salt behind

Bonneville has no evaporation its all drained .How many years until it will be corn fields