Rush Lake (Utah)
Encyclopedia
Rush Lake is a shallow saline lake
in Tooele County in the U.S. state
of Utah
. It is a 16,800 year old remnant of Lake Bonneville
, an ancient lake that formed approximately 32,000 years ago. The lake is a natural impoundment of a stream that drains into the southern Great Salt Lake
, formed by a sandspit
that blocked the body of water that is now the lake away from the evaporating Lake Bonneville. The lake varies in size; evaporating at about 2 foot (0.6096 m) per year, although occasional floods refill the lake. Its average surface elevation is 4951 feet (1,509.1 m).
and several miles south of Tooele, and bounded by six distinct mountain ranges. These are the Sheeprock Mountains in the south, the Tintic Mountains to the southeast, the Oquirrh Mountains
to the east, South Mountain to the north, the Stansbury Mountains to the northwest, and the Onaqui Mountains to the west. Runoff comes off these mountains, but the valley is dry enough that streams that drain into the basin dry up shortly after reaching the valley floor. The highest point in the watershed is Lowe Peak
, which measures 10590 feet (3,227.8 m) high. No perennial streams drain into Rush Lake, and outflow of the lake mostly consists of evaporation, though a very small amount is subsurface through the sandbar.
The lake was isolated from Lake Bonneville in approximately 15,000 BC after evaporation lowered the lake level to below the natural Stockton Bar barrier between Rush Valley and Tooele Valley. During the highest water levels of Lake Bonneville, Rush Valley was merely an arm of the lake. After the lowering of the lake level, Rush Valley contained several pluvial
lakes, which were Shambip, Smelter, and Rush. Rush Lake is the most prominent of these three lakes.
-grass and pinyon-juniper
. The former is found in lower elevations and the valley floor, and the latter is found at higher elevations on the mountains along with other forms of alpine vegetation. The average annual precipitation is 10 to 40 in (254 to 1,016 mm), and the annual frost
-free season surrounding the lake ranges from 100 to 140 days. Land use surrounding the lake is primarily for cattle
and sheep grazing.
, carp
, green sunfish
, bluegill
, largemouth bass
, channel catfish
, yellow perch
, black crappie, and black bullhead
. The lake has not been stocked with fish since 1988, when 71,000 largemouth bass fry were released in the lake.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in Tooele County in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. It is a 16,800 year old remnant of Lake Bonneville
Lake Bonneville
Lake Bonneville was a prehistoric pluvial lake that covered much of North America's Great Basin region. Most of the territory it covered was in present-day Utah, though parts of the lake extended into present-day Idaho and Nevada. Formed about 32,000 years ago, it existed until about 14,500 years...
, an ancient lake that formed approximately 32,000 years ago. The lake is a natural impoundment of a stream that drains into the southern Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
, formed by a sandspit
Sandspit
Sandspit may refer to:* Sandspit, British Columbia, a town on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada* Sandspit Beach, a major tourist site in Karachi, Pakistan* Sandspit , a deposition landform found off coasts...
that blocked the body of water that is now the lake away from the evaporating Lake Bonneville. The lake varies in size; evaporating at about 2 foot (0.6096 m) per year, although occasional floods refill the lake. Its average surface elevation is 4951 feet (1,509.1 m).
Geography
The lake is located in a broad valley named Rush Valley, near the town of StocktonStockton, Utah
Stockton is a town in Tooele County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 616 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Stockton is located at ....
and several miles south of Tooele, and bounded by six distinct mountain ranges. These are the Sheeprock Mountains in the south, the Tintic Mountains to the southeast, the Oquirrh Mountains
Oquirrh Mountains
The Oquirrh Mountains is a mountain range that run north-south for approximately 30 miles to form the west side of Utah's Salt Lake Valley, separating it from Tooele Valley. The range begins in northwest Utah County and stops at the south shore of the Great Salt Lake. The highest elevation is...
to the east, South Mountain to the north, the Stansbury Mountains to the northwest, and the Onaqui Mountains to the west. Runoff comes off these mountains, but the valley is dry enough that streams that drain into the basin dry up shortly after reaching the valley floor. The highest point in the watershed is Lowe Peak
Lowe Peak
Lowe Peak is a peak rising to 1060 m, 5 km south west of Mount Kolp, at the north west end of Nash Range. Named in honor of P. A. Lowe, a member of the 1961 Cape Hallett winter-over team, working as a technician on the geomagnetic project....
, which measures 10590 feet (3,227.8 m) high. No perennial streams drain into Rush Lake, and outflow of the lake mostly consists of evaporation, though a very small amount is subsurface through the sandbar.
The lake was isolated from Lake Bonneville in approximately 15,000 BC after evaporation lowered the lake level to below the natural Stockton Bar barrier between Rush Valley and Tooele Valley. During the highest water levels of Lake Bonneville, Rush Valley was merely an arm of the lake. After the lowering of the lake level, Rush Valley contained several pluvial
Pluvial
In geology and climatology, a pluvial was an extended period of abundant rainfall lasting many thousands of years. Pluvial is also applied to the sediments of these periods . The term is especially applied to such periods during the Pleistocene Epoch...
lakes, which were Shambip, Smelter, and Rush. Rush Lake is the most prominent of these three lakes.
Climate
Two major vegetation communities inhabit the Rush Lake watershed. These are sagebrushSagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
-grass and pinyon-juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
. The former is found in lower elevations and the valley floor, and the latter is found at higher elevations on the mountains along with other forms of alpine vegetation. The average annual precipitation is 10 to 40 in (254 to 1,016 mm), and the annual frost
Frost
Frost is the solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air as well as below the freezing point of water. Frost crystals' size differ depending on time and water vapour available. Frost is also usually...
-free season surrounding the lake ranges from 100 to 140 days. Land use surrounding the lake is primarily for cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and sheep grazing.
Fish
The lake is primarily inhabited by several different species of fish. Before the recent recession of the lake, these included (in order of population) Utah chubUtah chub
The Utah chub is a cyprinid fish native to western North America, where it is abundant in the upper Snake River and throughout the Lake Bonneville basin....
, carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
, green sunfish
Green sunfish
The green sunfish is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. They are usually caught by accident, while fishing for other game fish...
, bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
, largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, channel catfish
Channel catfish
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...
, yellow perch
Yellow perch
The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
, black crappie, and black bullhead
Black bullhead
The black bullhead, Ameiurus melas, is a species of bullhead catfish. Like other bullhead catfish, it has the ability to thrive in waters that are low in oxygen, brackish, turbid and/or very warm. It also has barbels located near its mouth, a broad head, spiny fins and no scales...
. The lake has not been stocked with fish since 1988, when 71,000 largemouth bass fry were released in the lake.