Great Salt Lake is fading
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The amount of water in the Great Salt Lake in Utah is fading away to concerning levels. As a result, the lake is fading. Indeed, the Great Salt Lake is fading at an alarming rate.
A new report by the Great Salt Lake Strike Team outlines six specific recommendations to replenish the Great Salt Lake to an ideal elevation of water. The report urges that action is “paramount” to save the lake. The recommendations call for tough choices to be made by households, farmers, industry, policy makers, and the state Legislature. However, the report points out that all is not lost and humans can adapt their water use. This will allow living in agreement with the ecosystem as the Great Salt Lake is fading.
The six specific recommendations include leveraging wet years and setting a lake elevation range goal. They also suggest investing in conservation, water monitoring and modeling, developing a holistic water management plan. Additionally, they recommend requesting an in-depth analysis of policy options.
However, the report also highlights the controversial nature of managing human water use that used to flow to the Great Salt Lake. Agriculture takes up the bulk of depletions. Meanwhile, municipal and industrial consumption, as well as extraction industries, operate adjacent to the Great Salt Lake. This is a crucial consideration as the Great Salt Lake is fading.
The report outlines a path forward that involves tough choices. Nonetheless, it is optimistic that humans can adapt their water use to live in agreement with the ecosystem.
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