Utah's Great Salt Lake is drying up and has hit record low levels in recent years — with the lowest coming in 2022 — and over half of its water is now gone, according to The New York Times.
The decline of the lake level is dire because of the lake's impacts on public health, migratory bird patterns, tourism, mining, and real estate.
What's happening?
As the Times reported, the effects of the Great Salt Lake's drying up have impacts "far beyond Utah's borders."
Although a multi-decade drying trend has, for now, stabilized because of recent record snow and runoff, it is still not at a healthy level, according to the Times.
Overall, the drying effect is causing heavy metals like arsenic in dried lake bed dust to blow throughout the region.
Brine shrimp eggs from the lake — a significant part of the global seafood industry — can also be affected. And lake minerals are commonly used to produce fertilizer for organic produce and materials for beverage cans, per the Times.
Farmers are especially concerned because of limited water availability for their crops and the phenomenon of farmland being priced out by real estate development.
"Our biggest fear is that long-term leasing of water shares may be the death of agriculture," Nathan Daugs, a farmer and water district manager, told the Times.
However, Utah's government has not significantly restrained local industries contributing to the lake's drying. There is questionable political and public support for drastic lake-saving measures. Yet, some experts have predicted that the lake could disappear within just a few years.
Why are declining lake levels important?
Declines in the water level of lakes are significant because humans, plants, and animals depend upon lakes in so many ways.
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Never 👎 Lakes supply power and water to millions of residents and are crucial in crop production to perpetuate our global food supply. Low lake levels impact local economies that thrive on tourism and recreation.
Frequent and recurring droughts, with record-breaking hot temperatures and increased usage, are decreasing lake levels worldwide. The resulting water crises worsen each year when government regulators don't prevent polluting, resource-intensive companies from harming lakes in their communities.
What's being done to save our lakes?
In Utah, lawmakers have introduced various efforts to restore lake levels, including incentivizing agricultural water efficiency, allowing surplus water from farms to be leased back, and supporting wetland restoration, according to the Times. However, participation in some of these efforts has been limited.
Elsewhere, encouraging and inspiring efforts are underway to restore our planet's lakes.
For example, conservationists are restoring a lake in India by tackling the pollution problem, filtering water to remove pollutants and silt, and introducing native plants and fish.
To improve two Minnesota lakes, local organizations and lakeshore property owners worked together to restore shorelines and plant native vegetation to improve water quality.
You can do your part to protect the lakes you love by taking local action through volunteer efforts, advocacy campaigns, and sharing the facts with people you know.
You can also help safeguard lakes by being mindful of your daily water usage. Simple actions like turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth and capturing rainwater to use in your garden can reduce your water consumption and contribute less to the depletion of water resources.
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