Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Lake Science topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Scientists warn Great Salt Lake close to historic lows: 'we need like six of those' big snowpacks to restore it
Summary
Biologist Bonnie K. Baxter said the Great Salt Lake loses about three feet each summer and is only about 3.5 feet above the 2022 historic low; she said restoring the lake would require multiple exceptional snow years and urged immediate public action.
Bonnie K. Baxter, Ph.D., director of the Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster University, told a public panel that the lake’s hydrology presents a narrow window for recovery. "Every summer, we lose about 3 feet of water," she said, and noted that the lake is currently only about 3.5 feet above the historic low measured in 2022. Baxter said restoring the lake to previous levels would require several once‑in‑a‑lifetime snowpacks: "We need like 6 of those to restore this lake." She urged continued public attention and action to reduce consumptive water uses.
Baxter framed the lake as an internationally important ecosystem and emphasized public‑health implications if the lake bed remains exposed. She warned that the large playa adjacent to the Salt Lake Valley could produce dust events with broad air‑quality impacts for the roughly 2.5 million people living nearby, and called for sustained civic engagement rather than resignation.
