Lawsuit filed over shrinking of Utah’s Great Salt Lake

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A lawsuit filed by a coalition of environmental groups says Utah officials have pushed the Great Salt Lake to the brink of an ecological collapse because they allowed upstream water to be diverted for decades to farmers.

The conservationists want a court to step in and force the state to let more water reach the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi River, which is an oasis for millions of migratory birds, an engine for Utah’s billion-dollar mineral industry and a tourist attraction.

The risks of a diminished Great Salt Lake aren’t merely beached sailboats and wider shores; they also include species extinction and toxic dust clouds billowing over nearby communities, the lawsuit says.

“The state of Utah hasn’t really done anything to lift Great Salt Lake water levels,” said Zachary Frankel, executive director of Utah Rivers Council. “It has refused to embrace new legislation being proposed by organizations like ours to raise Great Salt Lake water levels, to reduce water waste and to give the Great Salt Lake the aquatic protection it needs to exist in the 21st century.”

A spokesperson for Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. The Associated Press sent an email seeking comment to the Utah Farm Bureau Federation.

State officials have repeatedly identified restoring the lake as a top priority. But despite a temporary rise in lake levels this summer after a record winter snowfall, the lake’s long-term outlook is bleak. Earlier this year, Cox created and filled the position of Great Salt Lake commissioner in an effort to find solutions.

The dilemma has pulled the Utah government in two opposite directions: meeting the water needs of businesses and citizens, and keeping the lake at safe levels.

The organizations suing the state, including the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity, say the downside of rationing fresh water upstream pales in comparison to that of a disappearing Great Salt Lake.

“The disappearance of the Great Salt Lake is also driving air quality impacts to millions of residents along the populous Wasatch Front because of the lake bed dust that gets carried in the air column when the wind blows off the dry lake bed,” Frankel said.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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[Timelapse of exposed lakebed]

Zachary Frankel (interview): “A lawsuit was filed today to force the state of Utah to take meaningful actions to raise great Salt Lake water levels.”

[Marina and people on the shore of the lake]

Zachary Frankel (interview): “The Great Salt Lake is in a spiraling crisis that threatens its very existence.”

[The edges of the Great Salt Lake]

Zachary Frankel (interview): “It provides habitat for 10 million migratory bird species traveling from the tip of South America almost all the way to the Arctic. It is one of the most important lakes in the United States and one of the most important saline lakes in the world. The disappearance of the Great Salt Lake is also driving air quality impacts to millions of residents along the populous Wasatch Front because of the lake bed dust that gets carried in the air column when the wind blows off the dry lake bed.”

[Researchers biking on the lakebed and using measuring equipment]

[Man and child walking on the lakebed]

Zachary Frankel (interview): “The state of Utah hasn’t really done anything to lift Great Salt Lake water levels. It has refused to embrace new legislation being proposed by organizations like ours to raise great Salt Lake water levels, to reduce water waste and to give the Great Salt Lake the aquatic protection it needs to exist in the 21st century.”

[Stream that feeds Great Salt Lake]

Zachary Frankel (interview): “There’s been an explosion of public interest in saving the Great Salt Lake both inside and outside Utah. And as a result of that, Utah politicians have been posturing and running propaganda campaigns to pretend like they’re taking steps forward. What they’re actually doing is allowing destructive water diversions to continue moving forward, which are collecting money now for to start construction.”

[Sailboats being moved in marina]

[Mountains, buildings, and homes]

Zachary Frankel (interview): “Utah is decades behind other states, which have implemented meaningful aquatic protection and water conservation measures now many, many years ahead of us.”

[Timelapse of lake at sunset]

This script was provided by The Associated Press.

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