Officials stunned by drastic transformation in Great Salt Lake over summer months: 'We're sitting at … a scary low level'
Utah's Great Salt Lake has alarmingly low water levels amid drought conditions, The Salt Lake Tribune reports, and it's not the first time in recent years that officials have raised alarms.
What's happening?
According to the Tribune, Great Salt Lake water levels are currently approaching a "record-low" elevation last recorded back in 2022.
That reporting cited a November 2022 article about the saltwater lake's imminent "ecological collapse." Biology professor Bonnie Baxter of Westminster College's Great Salt Lake Institute spoke to the outlet about conditions at the lake.
"We don't have clouds of flies around our ankles anymore. The flies don't look right. They're small. They're behaving funny," Baxter said at the time.
In 2023, researchers at Brigham Young University called for "emergency measures" to prevent the lake's ecosystem from inevitable collapse.
Their predictions were startling — without intervention, they estimated the Great Salt Lake would dry up by 2028.
Statewide, Utah has endured drought and hot, dry weather, exacerbating the ongoing issue. On July 29, Great Salt Lake Commissioner Brian Steed was blunt about the implications of low water levels.
"In truth, we're sitting at, really, a scary low level," Steed admitted.
Why are low water levels so 'scary'?
Back in 2022, Baxter explained a bit about how low water levels had already adversely impacted the Great Salt Lake ecosystem and affected some of its key native species, brine shrimp and brine flies.
"It's not like we've got a thousand different food chains. There's two with these two keystone species," she said.
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Dangerously volatile salinity levels are one of the problems caused by rapid changes to the lake's waters. According to the Tribune, Great Salt Lake water levels need to be at least six feet higher to ensure a balanced ecosystem.
At present, levels are teetering on the precipice of "'adverse' conditions," when "invasive [tall grasses] dominate wetlands, salinity rises, boats cannot launch from marinas, and mineral extraction companies struggle to pump brine."
Back in 2023, NPR reported that environmental conditions and poor air quality had begun to affect residents living near the lake, where higher rates of cardiovascular disease and asthma were observed.
What's being done about it?
One bright spot in years of reporting on the rapid evaporation of Utah's Great Salt Lake is that officials and state lawmakers remain in bipartisan agreement about the need to act.
On Thursday, Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz signaled that a special session to address the crisis would likely occur in the fall. Schultz alluded to introducing "some additional tools to the toolbox to help the ecosystem on the south arm."
Conservation measures are in effect in the area, and Newsweek contacted Steed's office for information on how locals can act to preserve the Great Salt Lake.
A representative said cutting down on outdoor watering remains the "single biggest opportunity for conservation." Residents were also advised to monitor indoor water use and to consider "water-efficient appliances" when possible.
Finally, the office indicated that replacing lawns with drought-tolerant foliage would go a long way to preserve the Great Salt Lake.
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