PROVO — For some residents, Utah Lake may bring to mind concerns of harmful algal blooms, invasive carp and murky water.
But Utah Lake Authority is hoping to change that perception through their Utah Lake is My Lake campaign to improve public opinion and dispel myths about the state’s largest freshwater lake.
The lake authority partnered with Harmon Brothers ad agency to create a series of ads and billboards that encourage locals to take advantage of the lake. While many tourists and new residents enjoy Utah Lake, there are still Utah County natives who refuse to use the lake due to a misconception that it is dirty or dangerous, according to Ryan Powell, Harmon Brothers creative director.
“This ​widespread ​perception ​is ​based ​on ​misinformation ​and ​facts ​that ​are ​30 ​or ​40 ​years ​out ​of ​date. In ​reality, ​Utah ​Lake ​is ​a ​beautiful ​lake, albeit a little quirky,” said Powell. “(Utah Lake has) undergone ​incredible ​restorative ​work and … despite ​the ​progress, ​the ​stigma ​has ​stuck. So, ​we ​knew ​a ​typical ​awareness ​campaign ​wouldn’t ​cut ​it, and ​we ​asked ​ourselves: W​ho ​would ​be ​best ​to ​fight ​these ​outdated ​ideas ​and ​spread ​the ​good ​news? ​​The ​answer ​couldn’t ​have ​been ​more ​obvious: the ​Germans.”
The ads feature two German tourists — played by veteran Studio C actors Jason Gray and Whitney Call — who discuss what makes the lake great while making comedic and Utah-specific references. They demonstrate the variety of activities the lake can be used for, like paddleboarding and fishing, while also correcting some of the most common misconceptions about Utah Lake.
While harmful algae may be a health concern at certain times of the year, Utah Lake has seen a 50% decrease in algal blooms since 2016. The lake is nutrient-rich and shallow in certain areas, providing ideal conditions for algal blooms to grow, but the blooms are not always harmful. When harmful algae blooms do occur, Utah Lake Recreational Monitoring issues an advisory so lake patrons can avoid illness.
Over the last several decades, efforts to remove invasive carp from the lake have resulted in an around 80% decrease in the species’ presence. Utah Lake is also home to a native species of fish called the June sucker, which was previously an endangered species. The June sucker is now only classified as a threatened species, marking a massive win for the lake, according to the Utah Lake Authority.
Slapstick ads are a small part of Utah Lake is My Lake’s yearlong awareness campaign. Utah Lake Authority plans to hold several events to increase community engagement and education about the lake, such as their Great Carp Hunt that includes a grand prize of $10,000. The authority also plans to gather more data on how many visitors the lake receives annually between the 35 access points along the 70-mile perimeter of the lake.
Data on visitation will be gathered through eco-counters, a device that emits an infrared beam and counts the number of times a person or car passes through the beam. The first couple eco-counters, placed in August last year, have counted nearly 600,000 patrons so far and highlighted several boat marina access points as the most visited. This data will be used to understand what areas are most frequented and may suffer from overuse if not monitored.
“We ​want ​people ​to ​recognize ​that ​the ​lake ​is ​actually ​doing ​really ​well,” said Luke Peterson, Utah Lake Authority executive director. ​”​This ​is ​an ​asset ​that ​we ​have ​treated ​as ​a ​deficit ​up ​to ​this ​point. ​So, ​Utah ​Lake ​is ​My ​Lake ​is ​really ​focused ​on ​helping ​people ​to ​see ​the ​value ​of ​the ​lake, ​taking ​ownership and ​recognizing ​that ​they ​have ​this ​wonderful ​resource ​in ​their ​backyard. ​There ​is ​always ​room ​for ​improvement — and ​Utah ​Lake ​has ​room ​for ​improvement — ​but ​it ​is ​just ​getting ​better ​with ​each ​day.”
Utah Lake Authority conducted a study to gain insights into the public perception of the lake and found that many felt it was more important to conserve the Great Salt Lake rather than Utah Lake. This becomes problematic, Peterson explained, because many don’t understand that one-third of the Great Salt Lake’s water runs through Utah Lake, and the larger lake would die without its smaller partner.
Additionally, Utah Lake provides several streams of income for the area, made up of hundreds of jobs created by the lake and resulting in millions of dollars in economic activity, according to Peterson.
“(Utah Lake Authority has) ​done ​tremendous ​work to ​get ​us ​to ​where ​we ​are, ​to ​change ​the ​perception in Utah ​County,” said Utah County Commissioner Skyler Beltran. “We’ve ​invested ​in ​this — ​not ​only ​financially, ​but ​emotionally and ecologically — ​because ​we ​care. ​We ​care, ​as ​a ​commission, ​that ​this ​is ​a ​resource ​that ​our ​community ​can ​use to recreate. ​If ​we ​can ​get ​people ​to ​the ​lake, we ​can ​boost ​our ​economy; we ​can ​boost ​local ​business. ​The ​opportunities ​are ​really ​endless ​for ​this ​lake.”
To help plant more native wildlife along the lake, Utah Lake Authority will host an Earth Day Planting Party on Monday, April 26. The lake authority has been working to remove phragmites — an invasive reed grass— from the area, and wants to replace them with more attractive and productive pollinating plants. The event will be held at 9 a.m. at 282 W. 1600 North in Vineyard.
More information and updates on the Utah Lake is My Lake campaign can be found on the Utah Lake Authority’s Facebook page.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
