Great Salt Lake levels are back down
The state has been touting the rise of Great Salt Lake, specifically the 70,000 acre-feet of water dedicated to the lake. While we got a temporary reprieve of extremely low levels due to an extra wet year, the dedicated water is far from enough to bring the lake to a healthy level. The Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner estimates that the lake needs 471,000 to 1.055 million additional acre-feet of water every year to raise the lake to a healthy level by the 2050’s.
State officials working on the lake are saying that new policies in place will help levels, but UPHE stands with scientists and concerned experts who don’t see the policies as impactful enough.
Lessons from other saline lakes highlight the stakes. California’s Mono and Owens Lakes suffered devastating declines, requiring billions in remediation efforts, while Lake Urmia in Iran has seen similar impacts. These cautionary tales underline the importance of proactive intervention to avoid costly remediation and protect Utah’s environment and residents from toxic dust storms.
UPHE’s Dr. Brian Moench recently presented at Salt Lake County’s Watershed Symposium about why getting water to the lake as quickly as possible is in the best interest of residents in the area. All the toxic by-products of modern civilization are in Great Salt Lake, and its dust. Discharge from 28 sewage treatment plants, microplastics, PFAS, pesticides, heavy metals, at least 1,000 chemicals, and more, will be blowing into the air and lungs of northern Utah residents unless we increase water levels quickly.
Perhaps the most concerning thing about the toxicity of chemicals is that they are cumulative. So what is considered a “safe” level of one toxin, becomes unsafe very quickly when you add “safe” levels of other toxins. Because the Wasatch Front is already plagued with so many toxins, adding the ones from Great Salt Lake dust could create detrimental results for the health of our residents.
That’s why we’re suing the state—to hold leaders accountable for their failure to address the root causes of the Great Salt Lake’s water crisis. Without decisive action, Utah risks environmental catastrophe, toxic dust storms, and devastating economic losses. Beyond legal efforts, we focus on empowering residents through education and outreach, so stay tuned for more events, and comment opportunities. We know you work hard to reduce your own impacts, and the state should be doing the same!
The House Speaker recently said he would like a “pause” on major water legislation to determine which policies work best. We encourage you to reach out to him and tell him now is not the time to slow down.
Deseret News coverage on lake levels.
Salt Lake Tribune coverage on lake levels.
