Utah’s chance to save Great Salt Lake
The New York Times points out that Utah has a rare opportunity to be the first place in the world to reverse a saline lake’s decline. We don’t have to wonder what will happen if we let Great Salt Lake continue to decline, we can look to the lakes around the world. Drying up Owen’s lake left a near ghost town in its wake. Disease and respiratory issues skyrocketed, and life expectancy plummeted in communities near the Aral Sea.
The Times sums up the issue perfectly, “But the measures the state is pursuing will take decades to reap results, if ever. Critics now say the pace and scale of the efforts must greatly increase. What is at stake, they warn, is a public health disaster, the collapse of an ecosystem that supports millions of migrating birds, and a devastating blow to the state’s tourism, skiing, mining and real estate industries.”
The article references two of Utah’s biggest industrial threats to the lake, real-estate development and agriculture. While Utah invested $1 billion in water conservation efforts the last few years, they’ve matched that in development that contradicts water conservation efforts from the Utah Inland Port. Thousands of acres slated for development by the Utah Inland Port overlap or border Great Salt Lake wetlands. One third of Utah’s legislature has connections to the development industry.
Letting the lake dry up from upstream diversions and climate change does not protect the interest of local farmers, many of whom are taking initiative to better use their water.
Great Salt Lake Commissioner, Brian Steed, told the New York Times their analysis and strategic plan shows that to bring the lake to a healthy level in 5 years, all water users in the Great Salt Lake basin would need to cut their consumption by half. He says the political support is not there, though. It’s time our lawmakers stop prioritizing real-estate development and big industries over the health and survival of the lake that so many depend on.
UPHE is prioritizing Great Salt Lake in order to protect your health and our future in our communities. We are excited about the possibility our lawsuit against the state has in impacting change.
