Is Utah's Great Salt Lake on the verge of collapse and could expose millions to arsenic laced dust?

Is Utah's Great Salt Lake on the verge of collapse and could expose millions to arsenic laced dust? Within years, the lake's ecosystems could collapse and millions will be exposed to toxic dust contained within the drying lakebed, unless drastic steps are taken to cut water use. A team of 32 scientists and conservationists caution that the lake could decline beyond recognition in just five years.

Will the Great Salt Lake fill up again?

Water experts say it's going to take more than one big year to fill the Great Salt Lake. SALT LAKE CITY — Ever since The Great Salt Lake hit its lowest water level on record in November 2022, concerns over things like arsenic in the exposed lake bed have only grown.

Why is the Great Salt Lake dying?

Scientists point to climate change and rapid population growth — Utah is one of the fastest growing states and also one of the driest — as the culprits. A recent scientific report from Brigham Young University warned that if no action is taken, the Great Salt Lake could go completely dry in five years.

Is the Great Salt Lake draining?

The precipitous drop in water levels, which has shrunk the Great Salt Lake's footprint by half over the past few decades, stems from a two-fold problem: Climate change has helped decimate the mountain streams that feed the lake, while demand for the streams' fresh water has ballooned for new development, agriculture ...

Will the Great Salt Lake be gone in 5 years?

So just how bad is it, really? A new scientific report warns the lake is on track to disappear in the next five years, unless water use is cut by as much as 50% annually.

How to fix the Great Salt Lake?

Is the rain helping the Great Salt Lake?

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Utah Division of Water Resources is sharing good news about the impacts all the rain is having on the Great Salt Lake, whose water levels reached a historic low last year.

How much will the Great Salt Lake rise in 2023?

Lake Levels Due to its shallowness (an average of 14 feet deep and a maximum of 35 feet deep), the water level can fall dramatically during dry years and rise during wet years. When snowpack melts in the spring, the lake usually rises about 2 feet. However, record snowpack in 2023 triggered a rise of 5.5 feet!

Is the Great Salt Lake improving?

Most recent data within water-surface elevations show a downward trend. With climate change and Utah's ever growing human population, we expect this negative trend to continue. In fact, it is estimated that the lake is 11 feet lower due to human diversions.

Is there lithium in the Great Salt Lake?

Compass Minerals announced in 2021 it was seeking to extract lithium from the Great Salt Lake under a pilot program. The company, which has a plant in Ogden, said it was utilizing new methods of extracting the precious resource within the ambient brine of the Great Salt Lake.

How did the Great Salt Lake get arsenic in it?

Some of the waste water eventually found its way into the 008 outflow, a pipeline that runs beneath Interstate 80 and drains directly into the Great Salt Lake. State water-quality officials measured arsenic levels at 1.86 milligrams per liter (mg/L) at the outflow's discharge point.

What is the biggest threat to the Great Salt Lake?

The precipitous drop in water levels, which has shrunk the Great Salt Lake's footprint by half in the last decades, stems from a two-fold problem: Climate change has decimated the mountain streams that feed the lake, while demand for that same freshwater has ballooned for new development, agriculture and industry.

What happens if the Great Salt Lake dries out?

However, the most deleterious effect of the Great Salt Lake drying up is that the air surrounding Salt Lake City could sporadically become poisonous. Since the bed of the Great Salt Lake holds high levels of dangerous particles like arsenic, antimony, copper, zirconium, and various heavy metals.

How long until the Great Salt Lake dries up?

According to a recent study by Brigham Young University, it's possible that Great Salt Lake could dry up completely in the next five years.

What is at the bottom of the Great Salt Lake?

The shallow bottom of Great Salt Lake supports a microbial carpet that harness the sun's energy through the process of photosynthesis. This carpet is made up of a community of microbes, including several types of cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae), algae and other organisms.

Can you swim in the Great Salt Lake?

Recreation in, and around, the lake The best place to swim or float in the lake is at Antelope Island State Park, where white oolitic sand beaches provide easy access to the lake without the brine flies that are prevalent on other areas of the shoreline. The beach area also has showers to rinse off the salty water.

What is the future of the Great Salt Lake?

One of the world's largest hypersaline lakes, the Great Salt Lake is on the verge of collapse due to climate change, drought, and population pressures that have reduced inflows and shrunk the lake by more than two-thirds.