The researchers used stable isotopes to study the water balance of Utah Lake. They found that snowmelt-fed groundwater is the main source of river waters in Utah Valley. The lake and its outlet experience significant evaporation, while the inlets do not. The lake is poorly mixed horizontally but well mixed vertically. About 47% of input water is lost through evaporation, the water stays in the lake for about 0.5 years, and around 700 million cubic meters of groundwater flow into the lake from April to November. This suggests that the lake is more at risk of groundwater pollution than surface water pollution.