Toronto Star

Great Salt Lake hits record low

- THERESA BRAINE

The southern portion of Great Salt Lake in Utah is at its lowest levels since recording began in 1847, as the state reels in extreme drought that doesn’t seem poised to let up.

The U.S. Geological Survey said recently that water levels had dropped an inch beneath the previous record of 1963. Taking action to reverse the declining situation is crucial, experts said.

“While the Great Salt Lake has been gradually declining for some time, current drought conditions have accelerate­d its fall to this new historic low,” Utah Department of Natural Resources executive director Brian Steed said in a statement.

“We must find ways to balance Utah’s growth with maintainin­g a healthy lake.

“Ecological, environmen­tal and economical balance can be found by working together as elected leaders, agencies, industry, stakeholde­rs and citizens.”

“Based on current trends and historical data, the USGS anticipate­s water levels may decline an additional foot over the next several months,” USGS Utah Water Science Center data chief Ryan Rowland said in the statement.

Moreover, a low recorded recently is set to go even lower, Rowland told The Salt Lake Tribune.

“The new historic low is going to be set this autumn,” he told the newspaper.

A reduced snowpack over the winter meant the lake started its spring season already depleted, Laura Vernon, Great Salt Lake co-ordinator for the Utah Department of Natural Resources, told the Tribune.

Spring snowmelt usually sends the lake up two feet, or three to four feet “in an awesome year,” she said. “This year, it only went up six inches. So it just never had a chance.”

It’s not only the snowpack that’s wanting. Streams that feed the lake are also dwindling, with 77 of 122 stream gauges (63 per cent) showing at least 20 years of record reporting below-normal flows, the USGS said.

The reduced water levels, which experts said are clearly linked to human-induced climate change, could have far-reaching repercussi­ons, experts said.

“As the lake continues to dry, it could result in habitat loss, reduced snow, reduced lake access, increased dust, which could worsen our air quality, increased salinity — there are a lot of far-reaching consequenc­es,” Candice Hasenyager, deputy director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, told NBC News.

“It’s already concerning that Great Salt Lake has been on a slow decline, but the drought has accelerate­d that decline.

“It’s really alarming.”

 ?? JUSTIN SULLIVAN GETTY IMAGES ?? Boat docks sit on dry, cracked earth at Great Salt Lake’s Antelope Island Marina near Syracuse, Utah.
JUSTIN SULLIVAN GETTY IMAGES Boat docks sit on dry, cracked earth at Great Salt Lake’s Antelope Island Marina near Syracuse, Utah.

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