SALT LAKE CITY — A new report released said that while big steps have been taken to protect the Great Salt Lake, more will need to be done in the coming years to prevent it from drying up.
The report, prepared by the Great Salt Lake "strike team" made up of state agencies and university researchers to advise policymakers about the lake, noted significant improvements. The report was presented at the Kem C. Gardner Institute for Public Policy at the University of Utah on Tuesday morning.
"The data, policies, strategies, and investments formulated over the past few years lay a foundation for long-term success," it said.
But continued low water levels put the lake — and the communities around it — at risk. Current depletions of water are too high to restore a healthy lake and climate models project that future increases in precipitation will be overshadowed by rising air temperatures and evaporation, the report said.
"Dust plumes from over 800 square miles of exposed lakebed pose a health and property value risk to Utahns and can increase snowmelt rates in nearby mountains," the report stated.
Communities at risk? Maps included with the report put those around Bear River Bay and Farmington Bay (which includes cities from Ogden down past Salt Lake City) at risk for potentially "toxic dust," which includes arsenic in the lake bed.
The shrinking Great Salt Lake presents an economic (more than $2 billion a year, the report noted), ecological and public health crisis. It dropped to its lowest levels in 2022 attributed to impacts from diversions, drought and a changing climate.
But there is some positive signs. The lake's elevation on the south arm has remained relatively the same. The north arm, normally lower, has risen 2.8 feet (but both arms still remain well-below a healthy level). Salinity levels, a signal of the lake's health, remain good. Upstream, reservoir storage is strong which means more water can go downstream to the Great Salt Lake. More than 288,000 acre-feet of water has been approved for the lake and its wetlands.
"While these changes do not mean this water is delivered to the lake nor do they necessarily represent new water that will go to the lake in the future, it does demonstrate that water rights holders engaged in the process to change water rights for the benefit of Great Salt Lake," the report said, adding that mineral extraction companies have even dedicated water to the lake instead of taking from it.
Municipal and water use has not risen significantly since 1989, despite Utah's population doubling in that time period.
Utah lawmakers are not expected to do much on water policy this year. House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, has told FOX 13 News that he has decided to put a "pause" on water bills during the upcoming legislative session. Instead, he would like to evaluate the dozens of water conservation policies and $1 billion in funding the legislation has enacted to see what is working and what is not.
That may not satisfy members of the public. Advocacy and activist groups are planning a rally on Utah's Capitol Hill on January 25 to call for more action to be done to save the Great Salt Lake. The demonstration is timed to coincide with the opening week of the Utah State Legislature.
"All indications demonstrate that delivering more water to the lake is a far more cost-effective solution than managing the impacts of a lake at a perpetually low level," Brian Steed, the Great Salt Lake Commissioner appointed by lawmakers to save the lake, said in a statement. "We can invest time and financial resources now or pay much later. Fortunately, we have great data and a balanced and workable plan to succeed."
Read the strike team's full report here:
This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake—and what can be done to make a difference before it is too late. Read all of our stories at greatsaltlakenews.org.
