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Here’s why the Wilson’s phalarope is making waves. Hundreds of migrating bird species depend on the imperiled Great Salt Lake for survival each year. A petition has called on the federal government to...
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Researcher behind a viral graphic on Colorado River water use explains how changing the demand for different crops can create a more water-resilient West. You may have seen The New York Times graphic...
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House speaker continues to rail against the largest miner on the lake, claiming the company refuses to compromise. Tensions ran thick Thursday as lawmakers discussed a bill that would reel in mineral...
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Former governor says the plan will be state led, not influenced by a developer. Lawmakers are looking to Utah Lake to help refill the Great Salt Lake, but they might be dredging up a controversial ide...
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Lake commissioner outlines his plan to adapt to the basin’s water shortages. As lawmakers contemplate how to spend billions in taxpayer dollars this year, the Great Salt Lake commissioner made his cas...
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The 2002 Winter Games marks the last time the lake’s elevation hovered in the safe zone. The Great Salt Lake remains in a dangerous place, but experts say with a lot of effort, its water can rise to a...
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Utahns are already choking on dangerous lake dust, their open letter notes. Days before the Utah Legislature is set to convene, doctors have signed a warning about the public health consequences if th...
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State points to millions invested and ongoing efforts to rescue its imperiled inland sea, noting litigation “cannot solve every problem.” Environmental groups sued Utah in an effort to save the shrink...
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From meeting the demands of future growth to protecting over-tapped aquifers, cities provide complex and compelling reasons to recycle their wastewater, even if it further imperils Utah’s shrinking in...
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Research group claims the lake’s sediment could cause neural disease, but local scientist raises concerns over research methods. Contaminants from toxic algal blooms may be blowing in the Great Salt L...
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A leading politician who called out companies for wanting to use more water in an over-tapped system finds an exception of his own. Rep. Mike Schultz, the Utah House majority leader , has filed two ap...
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Runoff filled reservoirs and knocked Utah out of drought status and water use only ticked up slightly. When the Great Salt Lake sunk to record-low elevations in 2021 and 2022, Utah residents rallied t...
New lithium company wants billions of gallons from Great Salt Lake, but says it will put it all back
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A proposed miner claims it will use no evaporation ponds and deplete no water, occupying a significantly smaller footprint than other extractors on the lakebed. The lithium bonanza continues at the la...
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Plaintiffs want a mandated elevation for the depleted lake in an effort to protect public health and a fragile ecosystem. Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit to save the Great Salt Lake as its w...
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Weber County launches its own industrial port project, right next to the shores of the imperiled lake and the critical habitat it provides. Weber County is the latest local government to create an inl...
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Following lithium “dust-up,” powerful legislator prepares to slap mineral extractors with unprecedented restrictions, including limits on how much lake water they can use. Compass Minerals has clapped...
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The already beleaguered lake likely can’t endure the amount of extraction the company wants, expert says, despite claims the process will be “sustainable.” Compass Minerals has made several splashy an...
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Don’t expect shade, camping, trails or easy access. But the Great Salt Lake’s third-largest island is still a gem worth exploring and celebrating. Great Salt Lake • After a few years pondering what to...
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Flocks of pelicans and gulls that once darkened the sky have disappeared, and scientists say land bridges from persistent low water levels are likely to blame. Thousands of American white pelicans fly...
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Utah lawmakers are notoriously resistant to ceding any land to federal control, but supporters say a national park could shine a worldwide spotlight on the Great Salt Lake’s importance. The idea of a...
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Marinas at the lake’s state parks were high and dry last year, but a historic amount of snowfall has also raised sailors’ spirits. The boats are back and the sailors are stoked. The water at Great Sal...
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New lake coordinator shares thoughts on dust pollution, the role of cows in water shortages and whether it’s time for Utahns to accept living with a smaller lake. The state’s new czar overseeing all t...
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The Wasatch Front will continue to get pummeled until the lake reaches a sustainable level. After historic snowfall over the winter, Utahns are breathing a sigh of relief about the Great Salt Lake. Bu...
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There are signs the ecological wonder has started to recover, but it remains in a precarious place. Utah’s phenomenal, record-breaking winter has already given the Great Salt Lake a boost, but it will...
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View data about all of the state’s 114 golf courses in an interactive map and spreadsheet. As Utah faces serious issues with drought and water shortages, including a dying Great Salt Lake , lawmakers...
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Here is a spreadsheet with water data for all of Utah's golf courses. Compiled by The Salt Lake Tribune and Great Salt Lake Collaborative.
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Golfers say their sport gets a bad rap. Water use data shows some courses conserve better than others. Utahns rallied in recent years to rip out their lawns or let their turf go brown, motivated by dr...
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The gift has been months in the making, and represents the first major private sector commitment to saving the imperiled lake. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of the wealthiest an...
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Agriculture is often criticized as the state’s biggest water user, but irrigators face mounting pressure from rapid urban growth. Dan Harris raises hay and Christmas trees on a small farm near the sho...
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Lake advocates and scientists have long sounded the alarm over the massive dump, which has proposed hauling in coal ash and garbage from other states. After a prolonged battle, plans for a controversi...
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A recent report concludes thinning Utah’s forests “is not guaranteed” to increase the water flowing to the Great Salt Lake, and has the potential to decrease it instead. First came the pipeline to the...
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State leaders say they want native perspectives included in conversations about the lake, but action to date shows otherwise. Utah leaders have redesigned the state flag to better represent tribal nat...
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Sacrificing the north arm could slow further environmental implosion, but it comes with its own consequences. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued an executive order Friday that will once again raise the caus...
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It would also increase pollution and require a lot of electricity. As recently as last year, Utah lawmakers were floating the idea of piping Pacific Ocean water to save the Great Salt Lake , although...
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Utah leaders gear up to spend big on solutions for the shrinking lake, but will it be enough? This year’s legislative session will be critical in bringing the Great Salt Lake back from the brink, and...
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Utah has months to reverse the lake’s decline before it’s too late, according to a dire report. Days before Utah lawmakers are set to convene, dozens of researchers are calling on them to take bold ac...
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State regulators determined the company did not provide enough information about the potential impacts on water quality. A controversial project meant to allow a minerals extraction company to continu...
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The state’s snowpack is off to a good start, but the lake will need a lot more to recover. After several disappointing years in a row, this winter’s snowpack to date has a lot of Utahns feeling optimi...
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Shriveling salty lakes across the Great Basin, including the Great Salt Lake, will receive millions to aid scientific assessment. A bipartisan bill meant to address declining saline lakes in the West,...
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The Northwestern Shoshone are prioritizing restoration of Battle Creek, which runs through one of the bloodiest sites in U.S. history. Preston, Idaho • Steam rose from a sacred hot spring where it mee...
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The state engineer receives a deluge of applications for new diversions each year, but it appears many of them would be exempt from the pause. Gov. Spencer Cox announced this month that all new water...
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Scientists note changes to the food web they’ve never seen before, which could lead to endangered species listings and other disasters at Utah’s famous natural wonder. As the Great Salt Lake continues...
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A state representative has a lofty plan to save Utah’s imperiled lake and drought-stricken communities, but first, he wants around $50 million to explore how much salty water is underground. Since law...
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In September 1981, a group of 11 cyclists collected vials of water from a Los Angeles utility’s decorative reflecting pool and biked 350 miles north to Mono Lake’s shore. “They returned the water to i...
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Lone Pine, Calif. — Those from afar who hear the story of Owens Lake getting drained dry might consider it a tragedy. But those who have spent years living and working on its dusty shores see it as so...
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Lee Vining, Calif. • Geoff McQuilkin trekked toward a dam on Lee Vining Creek, fish leaping to catch bugs at a nearby pond, the peaks of Yosemite National Park and the Ansel Adams Wilderness looming i...
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Like the Great Salt Lake, Mono Lake is too salty for fish, which means brine shrimp thrive. But the lakes have different species of shrimp: Artemia franciscana live in the Great Salt Lake and Artemia...
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Lee Vining, Calif. • Amid climate change and growing water demands that are withering terminal lakes away, Mono Lake carries a rare hopeful message. Owens Lake was one of the first cautionary tales ab...
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Keeping emissions at bay on the Great Salt Lake’s exposed bed will take a mosaic of solutions. And it will be very, very expensive. Owens Dry Lakebed, Calif. • The dust is kicking up on the Great Salt...
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Lone Pine, Calif. • The area around Owens Lake holds a certain kind of magnetism. There’s the spectacular Sierra Nevada to the west, crowned by Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the continental Unite...
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This Great Salt Lake Collaborative story is part of day one of our series, “At water’s edge: Searching for solutions at the Great Salt Lake’s sister lakes across the Great Basin.” The in-depth project...
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High concentrations of salty water are already taking a toll on the lake’s brine shrimp, which could have ripple effects on migrating birds and local industry. The Great Salt Lake is so dry, and its w...
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Environmentalists worry that siphoning off more water is exactly what the shrinking lake doesn’t need. The Great Salt Lake is so low that one of its largest lake-based businesses, US Magnesium, is urg...
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Despite persistent bugs, unseasonable heat and the formidable challenge presented by a lake that has been receding most of their lives, students gathered Saturday to raise awareness about the Great Sa...
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The idea is catching on in cities as Utahns shift their thinking about landscaping. The trick is ensuring enough water trickles downstream. {youtube}MH9Ijtr1YAk{/youtube} As Utah faces a future with b...
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Yes, they devour millions of gallons of water, recreation managers concede, but they also bring environmental, wildlife and quality-of-life benefits. Editor’s note • This story first published on July...
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Kayakers capture water levels so low in early June that two bays were impossible to navigate as the lake continues to shrivel. People from around the world can now get an up-close view of the Great Sa...
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From landmark reforms to state water laws to big investments in infrastructure, he believes it’s not too late for the Great Salt Lake. Utahns’ water consumption habits have drawn national scrutiny in...
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And the drop is expected to stretch into the fall. For the second time in less than a year, the Great Salt Lake has sunk to a record-breaking low elevation. The news came as little surprise to water m...
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Since computers are here to stay, efforts are underway to reduce the millions of gallons these facilities consume every year. Listen to reporter Leia Larson talk about this story with KUER or read the...
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A Utah sewer district is saving ratepayers money, cleaning Farmington Bay and providing improved flows to the shrinking lake. As summer approaches, add toxic algal blooms to the long list of the Great...
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In Cache Valley, district manager sees smaller-scale projects as a solution to supply concerns and securing more water for the Great Salt Lake. Logan Canyon • Temple Fork is a beloved hiking area by m...
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Recent rains have tamped down the exposed lakebed, but drier, warmer weather is going to change that. Recent storms kicked up dust across the Wasatch Front, creating hazy skies and unhealthy condition...
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State and local leaders are floating all kinds of water restrictions. Parts of Utah saw wet weather in recent days, but it wasn’t enough to dampen the state’s crippling drought. Water managers are bra...
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Lithium mining also could lead to a greener future and secure more revenue to ensure the lake’s longevity. Chances are, the Great Salt Lake is part of your daily life, even if you don’t live in Utah....
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For Brian Footen, it will be the biggest and most challenging destination in a project to create Google Street View-style maps of drought-stricken waters and shores across the West. Spiral Jetty • Bri...
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“It’s worse than I thought,” says one as legislators vow to take action. About 10 million birds visit the Great Salt Lake every year, and this week, about 90 state lawmakers are going to get a bird’s-...
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