A chance to get involved with Great Salt Lake management
Appropriate management of Great Salt Lake should be one of the highest priorities for the state, in order to protect our health, livelihoods and quality of life on the Wasatch Front. The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands is seeking public input “to inform, identify, and clarify information to be considered for inclusion into the updated Great Salt Lake Comprehensive Management Plan and Great Salt Lake Mineral Leasing Plan.”
If you’ve been looking for a chance to influence change, THIS IS IT! It’s important the agency sees the public’s priorities, as management of the lake affects us all.
Although the state has set up programs and adopted conservation-minded measures, many of them have been poorly executed, under utilized or improperly tracked. For example, the state’s water banking program, designed to allow farmers to share extra water in order to conserve it and not lose their rights to it, currently only has one accepted application and is not yet operating.
Our vision for better management of Great Salt Lake looks like this:
Protecting wetlands and buffer zones.
Great Salt Lake wetlands are crucial to the health of the ecosystem. Developing them would be counterproductive to efforts to revive the lake. The Utah Inland Port Authority is currently the biggest threat to Great Salt Lake wetlands, threatening industrial development on nearly 50,000 acres. Replacing wetlands with broad expanses of roads, parking lots, concentrated vehicle traffic, and massive warehouses, add to the damage in multiple ways. The new impermeable surfaces introduced through UIPA’s planned development narrow the floodplain of wetlands, diminishing their ability to control extremes in precipitation, and toxic chemicals in the runoff from these surfaces degrade water quality. Wetlands are highly efficient in absorbing particulate pollution. Studies show that the amount of wetlands in an area can predict air pollution levels.
The cars, trucks, airplanes, and locomotives servicing this development will all generate more air pollution. New industrial development depletes water resources, accelerates population growth, and creates new sources of noise and light pollution. All of this combines to make the directly impacted communities, as well as surrounding land, inhospitable to a healthy life for humans, and often impossible for the survival of wildlife.
Reducing upstream diversions to increase water levels.
Alfalfa and hay account for around 68% of Utah’s water diversions. Currently, about one-third of Utah’s hay, by value, is exported, with much of it going overseas. Reducing exports of water-intensive crops like alfalfa could free up considerable water resources. Additionally, promoting local use over export could help protect the Great Salt Lake and support local agriculture’s resilience.
Prioritize health over business, it will pay off
Mineral leasing is an important part of crafting a successful management plan. Current mineral leasing practices allow companies to profit at the expense of public health and environmental integrity, with few meaningful regulations or consequences. A striking example is US Magnesium, the nation’s largest magnesium producer, located next to Utah’s Great Salt Lake. US Magnesium’s operations contribute up to 25% of the chemicals forming fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) in Utah’s air—a serious public health threat linked to respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Despite these impacts, the company recently applied to increase its water usage from the lake, even as state agencies strive to recover water levels. Revising mineral leasing policies to prioritize public health and environmental protections over profits is critical to preserving the lake and ensuring cleaner air for Utah communities.