Will Mormons Save the Great Salt Lake? | RealClearPolitics
I always remind people that we re in the midst of a crisis, not on the brink of one, said Ben Abbott, a watershed ecologist at Brigham Young University who studies the lake. We re already seeing dust clouds emanate from the lakebed, blowing out across densely populated neighborhoods on windy days. It s really frightening, especially since air quality is already bad here.
Often blanketed by a grayish-brown haze rivaling Mexico City s notorious smog, Salt Lake City and its suburbs rank among the nation s most polluted cities for both ozone and short-term particle pollution. Researchers say breathing Utah s air on bad days is the equivalent of smoking five cigarettes. State lawmakers have taken small steps to reduce Utah s household and industrial emissions, but these measures do nothing to address the pollution coming from the lake.
The lake reached its low point in 2022, having lost 73% of its water and 60% of its surface area compared with its average natural level. Scientists feared the lake s ecosystem would collapse. But two consecutive winters of heavy snowfall gave the lake a needed drink.
Water levels have risen significantly but still sit more than five feet below where experts say a healthy range begins. Along with the large patches of lakebed that remain exposed, the political will to create permanent solutions has begun to dry up. We re in a better place ecologically with the lake but in a worse spot politically, said Abbott. We re losing our urgency. If we don t reduce our water consumption quickly we could end up right back where we were two years ago. We can t let that happen.