Little Salt Lake (also called Parowan Lake), is a
dry lake in east‑central
Iron County,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
Description
The lake has an elevation
and is located on the southwestern edge of the
Parowan Valley
Parowan Valley, originally known as the Little Salt Lake Valley, is a basin in Iron County, Utah, United States.
Description
Its lowest point is at in the Little Salt Lake.
Fremont Wash, Red Creek, Parowan Creek and other tributaries all ...
at the eastern foot of the
Red Hills, immediately east of the
Parowan Gap, west of
Interstate 15
Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Cana ...
and
Paragonah, and northwest of
Parowan.
History
Little Salt Lake originally was a seasonal, shallow,
brackish
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estu ...
sink
A sink is a bowl-shaped plumbing fixture for washing hands, dishwashing, and other purposes. Sinks have a tap (faucet) that supply hot and cold water and may include a spray feature to be used for faster rinsing. They also include a drain t ...
fed by springs,
Fremont Wash Fremont Wash sometimes called Fremont Canyon in its upper reach, is a stream and a valley in the north end of Parowan Valley, in Iron County, Utah. Its mouth lies at its confluence with Little Salt Lake at an elevation of 5,686 feet / 1,733 meter ...
and streams emerging from the
Hurricane Cliffs
The Hurricane Cliffs of southwest Utah and northwest Arizona are a red, limestone geographic feature, sets of cliffs along the western, eroded edge of the Kaibab Limestone; the cliffs are about 135-mi (217 km) long,''Utah Atlas & Gazeteer ...
in the Parowan Valley. Local
Native American people lived in the vicinity of the lake, who called it "Paragoon," which meant "vile water." Long ago a creek drained the lake westward through the Parowan Gap in the Red Hills.
Later Americans named the lake, Little Salt Lake in contrast to the larger
Great Salt Lake to the north. Its original Piute name with some alteration was given to the valley and the towns of Paragonah and Parowan.
Diversion of water from creeks and springs for irrigation of crops has ended Little Salt Lake as a seasonal wetland, reducing it to an arid
playa.
See also
*
List of lakes in Utah
This is a list of lakes (including reservoirs) in the United States, grouped by state.
By state
Alabama
* Edgewood Lake
Alaska
* Agiak Lagoon
* Nelson Lake
Arizona
Arkansas
California
* Beck Lakes
* Kinman Pond
* Sinalo ...
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Lakes of Utah
Lakes of Iron County, Utah
Endorheic lakes of Utah