How is the Great Salt Lake doing right now? A new ‘live' billboard will tell you
A new digital billboard message popped out last week in Millcreek, offering southbound drivers a 'live feed' of lake conditions, according to Grow The Flow, a Great Salt Lake-focused initiative led by the nonprofit Conserve Utah Valley, which is behind the project.
A spokesperson for the group told KSL.com last week it is still working with a billboard company to move the message closer to Salt Lake City after a 'mix-up.' They said the plan is to have the digital billboards in multiple locations along the I-15 corridor in Salt Lake County, rotating through updates and other messages about the lake.
Ben Abbott, an associate professor of environmental science at BYU and the group's director, said the effort aims to bring awareness to the Great Salt Lake's low levels.
'No billboard can capture all of the details of the health of the lake, but just seeing the current lake volume gives Utahns a way to access the situation,' he said in a statement. 'Israel did this with the Sea of Galilee, and it really helped the whole community get on board.'
The Great Salt Lake's southern arm rose back up to 4,192.8 feet elevation to start the week, according to U.S. Geological Survey data. Its northern arm is up to 4,192 feet elevation, as the gap between the two continues to shrink.
This data will be included on billboards, updating as soon as U.S. Geological Survey and the Utah Division of Water Resources release new numbers. It will also feature other statistics such as capacity.
The Great Salt Lake is often tracked by its water level elevation and not its natural capacity, as Utah's reservoirs are. Grow The Flow says this data will also be included by taking active measurements and dividing that by the lake's 'natural volume,' which isn't 4,198 or 4,200, but 4,207 feet elevation. Right now, the lake stands about 38% of that number.
All of this will be boiled down into an 'easy-to-read graphic' for motorists driving by.
'We believe more transparency and visibility will empower Utahns to advocate for practical solutions and encourage our state leaders to take the necessary next steps to ensure the lake's rapid restoration,' added Jake Dreyfous, managing director of Grow the Flow.
The lake has benefitted from recent storms, which have favored the Great Salt Lake Basin over many other regions in the state. Both its southern and northern arms have gained close to a foot of water since the end of last year's evaporation period. The southern arm peaked at 4,195.2 feet elevation — its highest point in five years — before losing about 3 feet during a hot and dry summer.
More water is possible with a good snowpack. With recent storms, Great Salt Lake Basin's snowpack jumped back to 99% of its median average for this point in the season to start this week. It's higher than the statewide average of 89%.
State officials say they're still working on solutions to get water to the lake. Yet, despite the lake's gains over the past two years, Grow The Flow leaders say its current levels are similar to 2021, the year before the lake reached its record low, which highlights how close it still is to repeating history.
'Great Salt Lake is at a critical tipping point,' Dreyfous said. 'While we've seen positive momentum in recent years, the work is far from over.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Washington Post
As the Great Salt Lake dries up, clouds of dangerous dust blow into boomtowns
GREAT SALT LAKE, Utah — Kevin Perry was standing on the parched lakebed when the wind started to pick up. He squinted across a cracked, gray expanse of earth, submerged 16 feet underwater just five decades ago, and saw a wall of dust headed straight for him.
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Yahoo
2.6M earthquake rattles near Sequim
Did you feel it? An earthquake hit near Sequim area Sunday afternoon. The U.S. Geological Survey says it was a 2.6 magnitude quake in River Road. It hit just at about 12:35 p.m. and was about 40.5 kilometers in depth. Only one person has reported feeling it so far, according to USGS. There are no reports of injuries or damage. Earthquakes occur nearly every day in Washington. Most are too small to be felt or cause damage. According to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Washington has the second-highest risk in the U.S. of these large and damaging earthquakes because of its geologic setting.
10-08-2025
A 5.9 magnitude quake strikes off Guatemala's southwest coast. No major damage is reported
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck off Guatemala's southwest coast on Saturday. There were no immediate reports of damage. The quake occurred about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south-southwest of Champerico, Guatemala, at a depth of 6 miles (9 kilometers), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. People on social media reported feeling the earth shake in Guatemala's capital and other areas. The quake also was felt in parts of southern Mexico. Earthquakes are common in Guatemala. The Central American country is located on a major fault zone that serves as the boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates.
