Sevier Lake ( ) is an intermittent and endorheic lake which lies in the lowest part of the Sevier Desert, Millard County, Utah. Like Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake, it is one of the largest remnants of Lake Bonneville which covered much of the state in prehistoric times. Sevier Lake is fed primarily by the Beaver and Sevier Rivers and has been mostly dry throughout recorded history.

The first recorded observation was in 1872, which stated that the lake's surface area was 188 square miles, salinity was measured at 86 parts per thousand, two and a half times that of the ocean, and maximum depth was 15 feet. In January 1880 the lake was nearly dry, and had been so for the past one or two years. The Sevier River which once flowed to the lake is now largely diverted for irrigation. In 1987 however, the lake was again similar to the recorded description of 1872.

As a dry lake bed, Sevier is one of the sources of wind-blown dust in dust storms that frequently sweep the Wasatch Front.[294154]

The name of the lake has changed over time. The Dominguez-Escalante Expedition named it "Laguna de Miera" after a cartographer on their 1776 expedition. In 1825, William Henry Ashley trapped the region, and Jedediah Smith named it after him, the Ashley Lake. On some maps, it was named after Joseph Nicollet in the mid 1800s. Today, it is named after the river, which is derived from "Rio Severo" (wild river), a local name given by early Spanish explorers.

References

• Terminal Lake Systems - Sevier Lake. Utah Water Research Laboratory, Utah State University
• Utah History Encyclopedia.
• USGS Water Resources Links for: Sevier Lake
• Sevier River Flooding 1983-1984. WaterHistory.org

External links

• Panoramic view of Sevier Lake