Knowledge: Too little action by lawmakers

lets Great Salt Lake sink back into

EXTREME ADVERSE condition

Updated May 6, 2025

Consider the extreme mega drought gripping utah and the current state of the Great Salt Lake.

Utah is classified as being in severe or extreme drought conditions. Small parts of the state have somewhat less serious drought conditions at the moments.

Source:

The Great Salt Lake Basin around the Stratos Project area has a mere 2% of its usual snowpack.

RED IS SCARY BAD. Go here and watch how this becomes even more dire as the summer proceeds.

Current condition of GSL is in the EXTREME ADVERSE STATE, which begins when water falls below 4192 ft in South arm. The South arm is currently 1.1 ft below that level, and falling.

Grow the FLOW has an excellent tracker of data about the DIRE and unhealthy condition of the Great Salt Lake.

Grow the Flow main page about Great Salt Lake conditions

Two reports:

1. Two extremely wet years were wasted-Janecke's detailed analysis

2. READ this entire essay and analysis by Utah River Council and waterkeeper

Utah’s Leadership Failures Drop Great Salt Lake
Water Level to 4,192 Feet

The Great Salt Lake’s South Arm dropped to 4,192 feet above sea level, triggering toothless conservation measures which are too little and far too late for this struggling ecosystem. The lake is now on track to hit a new historic low in 2026, jeopardizing the 12 million migratory birds it harbors annually, the $1.3 million lake-supported economy, and the health of all Wasatch Front residents.

Utah legislators are also preparing to meet in a special session and legislate to dry up the North Arm of the Great Salt Lake, which they have been preparing to do in legislation passed over the last few legislative sessions. Since the North Arm represents 40% of the surface area of the lake, this move formalizes Utah’s leadership failure in protecting the largest remaining wetland ecosystem in the American West.

This is a disaster we could have avoided had state leaders not squandered the precious time they had to raise water levels.