The Great Salt Lake Is Disappearing. Utah's Water Use Is Why.
Decades of diversions for farms and lawns have pushed the lake toward collapse — threatening air quality, ecosystems, and a multibillion-dollar economy.
By AGUACYCLE News Room
The Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, has lost much of its volume as the rivers that feed it are diverted upstream for agriculture and cities. At record lows, exposed lakebed threatens to send toxic dust across the Salt Lake City metro.
A use problem, not just a drought
Utah is one of the highest per-capita water users in the nation. Researchers warn that without large cuts in consumptive use — much of it agricultural — the lake could effectively collapse.
The crisis has galvanized conservation legislation, water-rights reform to allow leaving water in the lake, and a broader reckoning with how the fast-growing state uses water.
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