Twenty years after FRIENDS first called for a selenium standard for Great Salt Lake, and 16 years after that standard was set, a statistically representative bird egg sample was finally collected in 2024. This sample revealed an average selenium concentration of 10.3 mg/kg, a level that requires Kennecott Utah Copper and Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District to determine the source of the contamination and, if necessary, implement a plan to decrease bird exposure to selenium.
Between the known contaminant source at Kennecott and JVWCD’s discharge outfalls, and lesser-studied sources like the Kennecott North Zone groundwater plume, tailings pile, and other industrial operations within the Lake’s quickly developing watershed, many variables must be accounted for to trace the source. In 2025, FRIENDS began coordinating with the EPA, Utah Division of Water Quality, and Utah Division of Environmental Response and Remediation to help determine if there is a connection between the Kennecott North Zone groundwater plume and the selenium showing up at the discharge zone.
FRIENDS has also committed significant resources to a study in partnership with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey, along with scientists at University of Utah and Brigham Young University. This study will fill in major knowledge gaps regarding groundwater systems along the south shore of the Lake, which will in turn inform our communities and regulators regarding groundwater reserves, sources of groundwater pollution, and the potential impacts of legacy pollution on the ecosystem and human health.
Learn More
To learn more, read this Salt Lake Tribune article and visit our Selenium StoryMap. View the StoryMap full screen at the link or scroll through the embedded version below.
The StoryMap distills years' worth of vital information regarding selenium concentrations at the South Shore of Great Salt Lake, how this legacy pollution is being understood by current researchers, and the intentions of FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake regarding mitigation and remediation for this vital ecosystem.
