A new paper coauthored by Northern Arizona University scientists proposes solutions for the decline of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The lake’s level has dropped about 4 inches a year since the 1990s.
The study says most of the lake’s decline is due to humans diverting water that otherwise would have reached the lake, primarily for growing cattle feed.
Environmental data scientist Kat Fowler estimates a 35% cut in water use will be needed to stabilize the Great Salt Lake.
She says she’s “cautiously optimistic” that can happen.
"Big cultural shifts like this in the West—you’re asking people to change legal structures and behavior patterns that have been in place for over 200 years in some cases."
Study author Richard Rushforth says it’s a complex problem.
"It’s not just focusing one sector of the economy, it’s thinking about all uses of water that feed into the Great Salt Lake, and then what are those downstream impacts if the lake continues to dwindle?"
Those impacts include disruptions to migratory birds, the decline of the brine shrimp industry and toxic dust storms.
