Expected Effects of In-Lake Dikes on Water Levels and Quality in the Farmington Bay and the East Shore Areas of the Great Salt Lake, Utah

Introduction: The Great Salt Lake is a terminal lake and as such is one of the major inland bodies of salt water in the world, and the largest lake of brine in the western hemisphere. Its unique features, including its mineral rich waters and interesting shores and islands, make it appealing to both industry and vacationers. Until recently, some of the great waterfowl sanctuaries in the U.S. existed along the easterly and northerly shores of the lake. However, during the past three years record breaking inflow volumes and lower than normal evaporation rates have caused an unprecidented rate of rise in the elevation of the lake surface. The rising water already have caused extensive damages to both public and private properties, including raods, highways, railroads, hunting club facilities, mineral extraction facilities, waterfowl areas, home, water treatment facilities, and agricultural lands. For example, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company has spent many millions of dollars raising the level of the causeway which crosses the lake between Promontory Point and Lakeside on the western shore, and a causeway which was constructed by the State ro provide access to a State park on the northern tip of Antelope Island now stands under approximately three feet of water. Continued increases in the lake level would create further damage to homes, transportation links (including the Salt Lake City International Airport), lakeside industries, and recreation facilities. In order to reduce future damages from the rising waters of the lake, various diking options, among other alternative flood control possibilities, are being considered by the State. Some of the diking options were addressed in a recent feasibility-level engineering study completed by James M. Montgomery, Consulting Engineering, Inc., and a team of sub-consultants (Montgomery 1984). The study evaluates several on-shore (or perimeter) diking altneratives to protect specific facilities, such as waste-water treatment plants. In addition, the study looks at some in-lake diking alternatives which provide certain management options by compartmentalizing the lake. In-lake diking options presented by the Montogmery study included various configurations between points on the wast shore of the lake and the Antelope and Fremont Islands. As might be expected, the Montgomery study shows that the in-lake dikes, although more comprehensive (less selective) in the protection provided, are consideraly more costly both to construct and to maintain than perimeter dikes for the same area. Various possible perimeter dike configurations to protect properties on the east shore are discussed by the Montgomery reoprt. The costs of these structures are compared with the much higher costs for in-like dikes needed to protect the same properties. However, the report, by design, addreses the in-lake dikes purely from a flood protection point of view and does not consider other possible advantages of in-lake diking, including: 1. Possible freshening of the waters in areas enclosed by dikes along the east shoreline to enhance boating and swimming and to enable these waters to be used for irrigation, municipal, and industrial purposes. 2. Capabilities to manage the levels of the water adjacent to the east shoreline in order to optimize conditions for waterfowl santuaries. 3. Providing road access to the Antelope Island State Park, and even the possibilitiy of an additional north-south transportation route by-passing Salt Lake City. East of these three issues needs careful study to evaluate the potential physical and economic impacts. For example, a study of items (1) and (2) should address questions such as: (a) Can water in the impounded areas be freshened sufficiently to permit its use for boating and swimming, irrigation, and/or municipal and industrial purposes? (b) To waht extent will freshening create odors (anaerobic conditions), promote algae growth, and cause other water quality problems within the impounded areas? (c) Will regulation to maintain water and salinity levels suitable for waterfowl habitat preclude other uses such as boating and swimming, irrigation, and/or municipal and industrial

Expected Effects of In-Lake Dikes on Water Levels and Quality in the Farmington Bay and the East Shore Areas of the Great Salt Lake, Utah (Executive Summary)

Introduction: The Great Salt Lake is a terminal lake and as such is one of the major inland bodies of salt water in the world, and the largest lake of brine in the western hemisphere. Its unique features, including its mineral rich waters and interesting shores and islands, make it appealing to both industry and vacationers. Until recently, some of the great waterfowl sanctuaries in the U.S. existed along the easterly and northerly shores of the lake. However, during the past three years record breaking inflow volumes and lower than normal evaporation rates have caused an unprecidented rate of rise in the elevation of the lake surface. The rising water already have caused extensive damages to both public and private properties, including raods, highways, railroads, hunting club facilities, mineral extraction facilities, waterfowl areas, home, water treatment facilities, and agricultural lands. For example, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company has spent many millions of dollars raising the level of the causeway which crosses the lake between Promontory Point and Lakeside on the western shore, and a causeway which was constructed by the State ro provide access to a State park on the northern tip of Antelope Island now stands under approximately three feet of water. Continued increases in the lake level would create further damage to homes, transportation links (including the Salt Lake City International Airport), lakeside industries, and recreation facilities. In order to reduce future damages from the rising waters of the lake, various diking options, among other alternative flood control possibilities, are being considered by the State. Some of the diking options were addressed in a recent feasibility-level engineering study completed by James M. Montgomery, Consulting Engineering, Inc., and a team of sub-consultants (Montgomery 1984). The study evaluates several on-shore (or perimeter) diking altneratives to protect specific facilities, such as waste-water treatment plants. In addition, the study looks at some in-lake diking alternatives which provide certain management options by compartmentalizing the lake. In-lake diking options presented by the Montogmery study included various configurations between points on the wast shore of the lake and the Antelope and Fremont Islands. As might be expected, the Montgomery study shows that the in-lake dikes, although more comprehensive (less selective) in the protection provided, are consideraly more costly both to construct and to maintain than perimeter dikes for the same area. Various possible perimeter dike configurations to protect properties on the east shore are discussed by the Montgomery reoprt. The costs of these structures are compared with the much higher costs for in-like dikes needed to protect the same properties. However, the report, by design, addreses the in-lake dikes purely from a flood protection point of view and does not consider other possible advantages of in-lake diking, including: 1. Possible freshening of the waters in areas enclosed by dikes along the east shoreline to enhance boating and swimming and to enable these waters to be used for irrigation, municipal, and industrial purposes. 2. Capabilities to manage the levels of the water adjacent to the east shoreline in order to optimize conditions for waterfowl santuaries. 3. Providing road access to the Antelope Island State Park, and even the possibilitiy of an additional north-south transportation route by-passing Salt Lake City. East of these three issues needs careful study to evaluate the potential physical and economic impacts. For example, a study of items (1) and (2) should address questions such as: (a) Can water in the impounded areas be freshened sufficiently to permit its use for boating and swimming, irrigation, and/or municipal and industrial purposes? (b) To waht extent will freshening create odors (anaerobic conditions), promote algae growth, and cause other water quality problems within the impounded areas? (c) Will regulation to maintain water and salinity levels suitable for waterfowl habitat preclude other uses such as boating and swimming, irrigation, and/or municipal and industrial

EQ-5D-3L Derived Population Norms for Health Related Quality of Life in Sri Lanka

Background Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is an important outcome measure in health economic evaluation that guides health resource allocations. Population norms for HRQoL are an essential ingredient in health economics and in the evaluation of population health. The aim of this study was to produce EQ-5D-3L-derived population norms for Sri Lanka. Method A population sample (n =  780) was selected from four districts of Sri Lanka. A stratified cluster sampling approach with probability proportionate to size was employed. Twenty six clusters of 30 participants each were selected; each participant completed the EQ-5D-3L in a face-to-face interview. Utility weights for their EQ-5D-3L health states were assigned using the Sri Lankan EQ-5D-3L algorithm. The population norms are reported by age and socio-economic variables. Results The EQ-5D-3L was completed by 736 people, representing a 94% response rate. Sixty per cent of the sample reported being in full health. The percentage of people responding to any problems in the five EQ-5D-3L dimensions increased with age. The mean EQ-5D-3L weight was 0.85 (SD 0.008; 95%CI 0.84-0.87). The mean EQ-5D-3L weight was significantly associated with age, housing type, disease experience and religiosity. People above 70 years of age were 7.5 times more likely to report mobility problems and 3.7 times more likely to report pain/discomfort than those aged 18-29 years. Those with a tertiary education were five times less likely to report any HRQoL problems than those without a tertiary education. A person living in a shanty was 4.3 more likely to have problems in usual activities than a person living in a single house. Conclusion The population norms in Sri Lanka vary with socio-demographic characteristics. The socioeconomically disadvantaged have a lower HRQoL. The trends of population norms observed in this lower middle income country were generally similar to those previously reported in high income countries

What traits are carried on mobile genetic elements, and why?

Although similar to any other organism, prokaryotes can transfer genes vertically from mother cell to daughter cell, they can also exchange certain genes horizontally. Genes can move within and between genomes at fast rates because of mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Although mobile elements are fundamentally self-interested entities, and thus replicate for their own gain, they frequently carry genes beneficial for their hosts and/or the neighbours of their hosts. Many genes that are carried by mobile elements code for traits that are expressed outside of the cell. Such traits are involved in bacterial sociality, such as the production of public goods, which benefit a cell's neighbours, or the production of bacteriocins, which harm a cell's neighbours. In this study we review the patterns that are emerging in the types of genes carried by mobile elements, and discuss the evolutionary and ecological conditions under which mobile elements evolve to carry their peculiar mix of parasitic, beneficial and cooperative genes