The Great Shrinking Salt Lake

Utah’s Great Salt Lake may seem like a wasteland, ringed by toxic deposits of mercury and arsenic, and filled with water so salty that only brine shrimp can live in it.However, those shrimp feed 10 million migrating birds. And the lake provides eight thousand jobs and two billion dollars in industry, harvesting salt and other minerals. It’s vital to the region’s ecology and economy.But the lake is in danger.Great Salt Lake is the remnant of Lake Bonneville which, in ancient times, was nearly as big as Lake Michigan.Then, 18,000 years ago, the lake found a drainage path to the Pacific Ocean through the Snake River Valley, and its level fell 400 feet.Fifteen thousand years ago, as glaciers retreated from the region, the climate became drier. The lake became landlocked again and started to evaporate, falling another 600 feet to stabilize at its modern size.But over the past century, its been gradually shrinking. In 2022, it hit a record low.This is due to rising temperatures and drier summers in the region, and, importantly, to lower inflow—as the rivers that feed the lake have been increasingly diverted for agriculture and mining. So, Utah began water conservation measures.Then 2023 saw the most snowfall in 70 years, which may lead to record runoff.Only time will tell if Utah’s people, and weather, can save the Great Salt Lake.