Ogden, Utah — Great Salt Lake Minerals Corp. (GSLM), a unit of Compass Minerals, is putting more emphasis on the environment in a revised plan submitted April 28 to expand its solar evaporation pond system at the Great Salt Lake to meet higher demand for its sulfate of potash (SOP) crop nutrients. GSLM officials said the new plan, which replaces the company’s 2009 expansion project, is the result of further study of the ecology of the lake, the company’s innovative technological advances, and direct discussions with environmental organizations. “We studied, we listened, we collaborated, and we changed our plan accordingly,” said Corey Milne, director of advanced manufacturing technology. “Today we are submitting a plan that will produce the crop nutrients that America’s food growers need, benefit Utah’s economy, and is sustainable for the lake’s ecology.” GSLM is the only American producer of SOP, and current capacity is considered insufficient to meet the projected needs of U.S. growers in coming decades. Along with operational efficiencies developed by the company, GSLM has advised the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lead agency reviewing the project, along with other regulatory agencies and stakeholders, that key changes involve no new development in Bear River Bay – instead of 8,000 acres proposed earlier, there will be no new solar ponds in that area in order to preserve high avian values. The plan now calls for a maximum 52,000 acres of new solar evaporation ponds, or more than 40 percent fewer than the 91,000 acres requested in 2009. Most of the new ponds would be on the lake’s remote northwest side. Also, GSLM is withdrawing a request for 353,000 acre feet per year of water rights to help preserve lake levels. Unused minerals that remain from the solar evaporation process would be returned to the lake sooner to benefit salinity levels. The new project proposes building new solar evaporation ponds in stages. According to GSLM, important investments in operations efficiencies, including development and integration of a patent-pending technology that significantly reduces the amount of water needed to produce SOP, have been made since the original proposal was submitted in 2009.
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