The shrinkage of Utah’s iconic Great Salt Lake is undeniable, and scientists are grappling with questions about what will happen if sediments from the dry lakebed spread across Salt Lake City and the rest of the major metropolitan area known as the Wasatch Front.
As a “terminal lake,” the Great Salt Lake is fed by runoff from a massive drainage basin spanning parts of four states, including northern Utah. Once compounds reach the lake, the only way they leave is through evaporation.
Analysis of the dust indicates high levels of lead, iron, copper, manganese, zinc, antimony, zirconium, arsenic, mercury, and lithium, which could collectively cause health problems for the large number of people living nearby. It could also impact snowmelt and soil degradation. However, the extent to which these pollutants are actually blowing into populated areas is still unknown, as there is limited monitoring equipment downwind of the lake for PM10 (the major particles that make up lake dust). Scientists also acknowledge that far more research is needed to unravel the epidemiological effects of potentially toxic dust.
A January 2023 report suggested that the Great Salt Lake, North America’s largest saline lake, could collapse within five years, primarily due to excessive water use, with drought-worsening climate change as an exacerbating factor. Approximately 3.3 trillion liters are diverted annually from streams that would otherwise supply the lake, with most of that water used for agriculture. The report authors suggest that the Great Salt Lake watershed would need to cut its water use by as much as 50% to stop the water level from continuing to drop.
According to University of Utah atmospheric sciences professor Kevin Perry, most of the exposed lakebed is covered by a hardened crust that keeps the potentially toxic sediment from becoming airborne. According to Perry, less than 10% (around 43,000 acres) has been disturbed and represents a threat to air quality.
The shrinking Great Salt Lake:
- The Great Salt Lake is thought to contribute around $2.5 billion in economic productivity, supporting some 9,000 local jobs. Evaporation from the Great Salt Lake also contributes to snowfall in the nearby mountains, which is another driver of economic activity.
- The Great Salt Lake has lost around 60% of its surface area and 73% of its water since 1850 as a result of construction projects such as dams, pipelines, and canals.
- The lake has already suffered from the loss of wildlife, including migratory birds, brine flies, and brine shrimp.
