![]() “Mother Nature really helped us out,” Republican Sen. But they’ve avoided considering draconian policies being implemented elsewhere in the drought-stricken West: water rationing, zoning requirements or fines for overuse. State and local officials offered millions in incentives to encourage farmers to conserve and pushed education for homeowners and municipalities. “We should be viewing this big winter as a lease on life and an opportunity to get our long-term conservation measures in place.”īefore the bump from this winter’s record snow, dire warnings like Abbott’s made saving the Great Salt Lake a top priority for Utah politicians. “Back on a crashing plane is not where we want to be,” Abbott said. But 6 feet - and images of boats going back in the water - shouldn’t calm the sense of urgency for Utah to take action that could guarantee the lake’s survival, he said. ![]() But it remains a lifeblood for Utah’s economy, sustaining a $1.5 billion-a-year mining industry that extracts minerals including magnesium and table salt, an $80 million brine shrimp industry for fish feed and a $1.4 billlion ski industry that markets itself with the fluffy “lake effect” snow that the geography supplies.īrigham Young University ecologist Ben Abbott, who authored a January study that warned the lake could dry up within five years, said every foot of lake level rise helps - especially in suppressing hazardous dust from the exposed lake bed. The diminished Great Salt Lake isn’t the boating mecca or vacation destination it was decades ago, when its footprint was about twice the size it is now. I worry that everybody declares victory, says the Great Salt Lake has been saved and that we can stop worrying about conserving water.” ![]() That was an unbelievable catastrophe,” said Derby, who works for a medical device manufacturer. “Everybody talks about the lake being up, but it’s coming from a historic low. The Great Salt Lake faces a supply-demand imbalance: As climate change-fueled drought decreases the amount of water that cascades down through the region’s mountains and rivers, appetite for water is increasing from booming towns along the Wasatch Front as well as the farmers whose livelihoods hinge on their fields of alfalfa and onions. “There’s finally some life back in the marina,” said Tyler Oborn, who guides pontoon tours on the lake and enjoys fire-dancing on its shoreline. With their return, they’ve joined many others - farmers, skiers and nearby homeowners - in rejoicing over the surprise rise of the Great Salt Lake amid long-term megadrought.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |