Utah lawmakers have mounted emergency rescue plans for the Great Salt Lake, which is on the verge of ecological collapse. The lake is shrinking, but even more urgent is its changing salinity.
Rick Bowmer / Pool/AP fileUtah lawmakers have mounted emergency rescue plans for the Great Salt Lake, which is on the verge of ecological collapse. Before the legislative session opened on Tuesday, scientists and conservationists iover the lake’s future, saying “the lake as we know it is on track to disappear in five years” if losses continue at their recent pace.
Lawmakers say they’re ready to open the financial floodgates. Public and media attention have centered on the lake, raising pressure for officials to act. And the mountains above Salt Lake City gleam with a snowpack that’s nearly double its typical size for this time of year and should provide a hearty flow of spring runoff to the rivers that feed the Great Salt Lake.
Exposed playa on the Great Salt Lake as seen from Antelope Island. The playa is a source of dust that could worsen air pollution.Water volume on the Great Salt Lake has dropped by more than two-thirds since pioneers once settled the Salt Lake Valley. Much of the lake surface is now exposed. This fall, water levels fell to all-time lows.
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