Blue Lake is a large geothermal pond located about south of

Wendover, Utah Wendover is a city on the western edge of Tooele County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,115 at the 2020 census. Description Wendover is on the western border of Utah and is contiguous with West Wendover, Nevada. Interstate 80 runs j ...

at . The lake is deep, approximately in size and at an elevation of above sea level. It is located on the

Utah Test and Training Range The Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) is a Department of Defense military testing and training area located in Utah's West Desert, approximately west of Salt Lake City, Utah. UTTR is currently the largest contiguous block of over-land superson ...

, which is controlled by the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

, but the lake and its immediate surroundings are publicly accessible wetlands that are managed by the

United States Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

(BLM). The BLM permits public access and use but does not permit the erection of permanent structures.

Scuba diving

Blue Lake is a popular spot for area

divers Diver or divers may refer to: *Diving (sport), the sport of performing acrobatics while jumping or falling into water *Practitioner of underwater diving, including: **scuba diving, **freediving, **surface-supplied diving, **saturation diving, a ...

. Since its water is warm year-round and reasonably clear, the lake is heavily used on the weekends for dive training, with programs such as the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

Scuba Program. Other nearby high-mountain lakes are clear but cold even in early fall; and lower, warmer lakes tend to be murky. Blue Lake's constant high-volume flow of clear springwater provides underwater visibility of up to at (rare) times, and year-round bottom temperatures of approximately . Surface temperatures vary from the high 60s (~20 °C) in winter to the high 70s (~25 °C) in summer. The lake supports warm-water fish, mostly

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most ...

, sunfish and

bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...

. In addition, divers have placed objects on the bottom, such as large metal sculptures of marine animals, boats, a chair and TV set, to add interest. The bubbling thermal spring on the lake floor is also an interesting site for exploration. Late fall or early spring provides the best overall diving conditions, since the water is clear (the summer

algal bloom An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in freshwater or marine water systems. It is often recognized by the discoloration in the water from the algae's pigments. The term ''algae'' encompas ...

is absent), daytime air temperatures are somewhat mild, and the summer's insects are absent. The algal bloom can reduce underwater visibility to a meter or less. However, it is not severe enough to damage the other marine life. During the winter, the lake's water is also clear, but area temperatures make diving unpleasant. The Utah DWR allows fishing in the lake; bass (6 fish limit), bluegill (50 fish limit), and tilapia (no limit, mandatory keep and kill). The tilapia criteria reflect the fact that this species was introduced to Blue Lake illegally, and it competes with the native game fish for habitat.

References

{{authority control Lakes of Utah Lakes of Tooele County, Utah Bureau of Land Management areas in Utah Protected areas of Tooele County, Utah Underwater diving sites in the United States

Scuba diving

See also

References