#MonitoringMonday - blue lakes in the desert

You wouldn’t expect such a blaze of colour in the barren region of the US state Utah. The ponds of the “Intrepid Potash Mines” are located east of Dead Horse Point State Park and Canyonlands National Park. They belong to a large fertiliser manufacturer in the USA.

Water is pumped into the mine from the nearby river. The ponds appear blue because copper sulphate is added to speed up evaporation. This gives access to potassium carbonate, an important ingredient for fertilisers.