Associated Press - July 10, 2009 2:45 PM ET

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it is being flooded with comments about a proposed expansion of solar evaporation ponds on the shores of the Great Salt Lake.

Great Salt Lake Minerals Corp. wants approval for evaporation ponds on 75,000 acres, mostly along the lake's northwest arm. The ponds are used to extract minerals for sulfate of potash, a specialty fertilizer.

The proposal has to go through a 45-day comment period and a public hearing was held Thursday.

Jason Gipson, the corps chief of the Utah/Nevada regulatory branch, says the comments that are rolling in - which are about evenly split for and against - will help with the agency's environmental review of the proposed expansion.

The draft report is expected to be finalized in February.

Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com

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