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Deseret News

A bird flies over the Great Salt Lake State Park in Magna on Saturday, June 15, 2024. Marielle Scott, Deseret News

What happened to the Great Salt Lake this year

December 18th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Focused funding, donations of water, new laws and wetlands protection are highlights from 2024 The levels of the Great Salt Lake may be in decline, but the year 2024 saw a tremendous uptick in effor...

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Deeda Seed, Center for Biological Diversity senior Utah campaigner, speaks during a press conference urging the halt to Utah Inland Port Authority development in Great Salt Lake wetlands at the capitol in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Is Utah’s port authority plan the latest threat to the Great Salt Lake?

December 12th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Brian Moench says the Utah Inland Port Authority’s plans for new development spanning the Wasatch Front and multiple counties is a death knell for Utah’s environment, thousands of acres of wetlands an...

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An American avocet skims the surface of the water in search of food at the Great Salt Lake near Magna on Sept. 24, 2024. Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

What’s next for the Great Salt Lake?

November 22nd 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Commissioner outlines next steps to help the ailing saline lake So far, 70,000 acre-feet of water has been dedicated to the Great Salt Lake either through leases or outright donations, including pa...

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The confluence of the Colorado River and Green River is pictured on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Updated Video: The fight to save the Colorado River

November 14th 2024 by Emma Pitts / Deseret News

Sediment is filling Lake Powell at an alarming rate. What can be done to keep this water source viable? Will Lake Powell become Lake Mud?  

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The confluence of the Colorado River and Green River is pictured on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Updated Video: The fight to save the Colorado River

November 14th 2024 by Emma Pitts / Deseret News

Sediment is filling Lake Powell at an alarming rate. What can be done to keep this water source viable? Will Lake Powell become Lake Mud?  

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North Wash, a side canyon that has filled in with sediment since the creation of Lake Powell, is pictured where it meets the Colorado River on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Photo essay: The fight to save the Colorado River

November 5th 2024 by Kristin Murphy / Deseret News

'Mudbergs' in Lake Powell and new white water rapids. What is it like to travel down Cataract Canyon on the Colorado River? The Colorado River Collaborative recently sent two journalists from the De...

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Deseret News reporter Emma Pitts swims in the Colorado River by Gypsum Canyon rapid in Cataract Canyon on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. Gypsum is one of the rapids that has recently returned, after being buried under Lake Powell for years. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

The fight to save the Colorado River

November 5th 2024 by Emma Pitts / Deseret News

Returning Rapid’s Mike Dehoff likens the river to a friend who is sick in the hospital ― and its symptoms are worsening As I hopped onto a raft, surrounded by deep red, rugged river canyons, submit...

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A group of river experts, scientists, water rights lawyers, tribal representatives, non-profit representatives, philanthropists and river guides raft down Cataract Canyon on the Colorado River with the Returning Rapids Project on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

The Colorado River is in a custody battle with 7 states

November 4th 2024 by Emma Pitts / Deseret News

Lake Powell and Lake Mead’s declining water levels force basin states to confront old rules in a new reality The Colorado River is managed like a joint bank account — seven states have equal shares...

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Footprints where people have sunk into mud are pictured above Gypsum Canyon rapid in Cataract Canyon on the banks of the Colorado River on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Will Lake Powell become Lake Mud? Inside the growing sediment crisis

November 4th 2024 by Emma Pitts / Deseret News

In 1963, the Glen Canyon Dam was built. It created Lake Powell Reservoir, which straddles Utah and Arizona, to ensure a water supply for the lower Colorado River basin states and Mexico. Over the past...

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Watermelon juice flies off his machete while Weston Vetere, from Kanab, chops watermelons to give away at the Vetere stall during the 118th annual Melon Days Festival in Green River on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News

Photo essay: How the Green River gives life to a rural Utah town

October 9th 2024 by Brice Tucker / Deseret News

The Colorado River Collaborative recently sent two journalists from the Deseret News — reporter Amy Joi O'Donoghue and photographer Brice Tucker — to the town of Green River, Utah, to chronicle Melon...

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Heidi Vetere, Greg Vetere’s oldest daughter, throws a watermelon to Rogelio Herrera while they harvest watermelons from the Vetere fields in Green River on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. Watermelons are too fragile to be harvested mechanically leading to more labor intensive methods where each melon must be tested for ripeness, cut from the vine and removed from the field. Brice Tucker, Deseret News

Farmers help a small town thrive with a big assist from a river

October 8th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Green River, Utah’s main waterway, helps sustain this southeastern Utah town Mark Twain once said, “When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what angels eat.” If so, the angels would love the mel...

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Aurora Tucker, 5, from Grand Junction, Colorado, laughs with a watermelon stained face while eating watermelon during the 118th annual Melon Days Festival in Green River on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. Tucker has been attending the Melon Days festival to enjoy watermelon for her entire life so far. Brice Tucker, Deseret News

Melons and the Green River: Giving life to a rural Utah town

October 8th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

How life in Green River is intertwined with water from the river that shares its name Sonya Nelson Spackman stood in line on a mild Saturday afternoon, waiting patiently to purchase a bag of kettle...

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Two sailboats move across the water at the Great Salt Lake, near Magna, on Sept. 24, 2024. Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Back-to-back good water years have helped the Great Salt Lake

October 3rd 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

As a new water years begins, officials plan next steps in the fight to save the lake Great Salt Lake Commissioner Brian Steed and Deputy Commissioner Tim Davis had the ideal setting Wednesday for th...

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Sand bars near the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake, near Magna on September 24, 2024. Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Saving the Great Salt Lake earns bipartisan support in House

September 26th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Led by Rep. Curtis and Utah’s congressional delegation, two stewardship bills pass on Tuesday A bill some advocates say is historic in nature was endorsed in the House on Tuesday, expanding the geog...

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Helping to save the Colorado River with virtual fencing

September 18th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

There are unique ways to help save the ailing Colorado River, and a nonprofit foundation is awarding millions to boost drought resistance in two of the seven basin states. On Thursday, the Foundatio...

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Solar fields and wind turbines near the site of the FORGE geothermal demonstration sight near Milford on Thursday, July 6, 2023. Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Are you ready for solar panels on the southern shores of the Great Salt Lake?

September 6th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Solar advocacy group says some areas are just not appropriate The Biden-Harris administration wants to open up an additional 31 million acres in the West for development of utility scale solar deve...

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A sailboat is seen at the Great Salt Lake State Park in Magna on Saturday, June 15, 2024. A new analysis identifies gaps in infrastructure and ways the state can improve how water gets to the Great Salt Lake. Marielle Scott, Deseret News

How water moves through the Great Salt Lake drainage

August 14th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

A recently completed yearlong analysis probed how water moves through the Great Salt Lake basin and how to better understand what improvements need to manage the finite resource. The study was done...

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Uranium tailings are pictured near the Colorado River, north of Moab in Grand County on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Radioactive tailings near the Colorado River close to full removal

August 8th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Sixteen million tons of radioactive uranium tailings once sat near the banks of the Colorado River, putting the waterway in peril of contamination on the outskirts of Moab. Removal began in 2009 and...

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How cows are used as weed eaters — literally — to help the Great Salt Lake retain water

July 16th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Hungry bovines chomp on aggressive water-hungry reed, helping environment. Caretakers of the land around the Great Salt Lake, at wildlife management areas and Utah Lake over the years have used a va...

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The Colorado River: Strategies from lower and upper basin states to reduce water consumption

July 9th 2024 by Emma Pitts / Deseret News

‘The bottom line is we’re pursuing the opportunity to give credit where credit is due for this conserved water,’ Colorado River Authority of Utah Executive Director Amy Haas said The issue of water...

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How Great Salt Lake dust impacts people of color

July 3rd 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

New research shows heightened vulnerability among certain populations The 800 square miles of exposed bed of the Great Salt Lake is disproportionately affecting Pacific Islanders and Hispanics, acco...

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What progress is being made in the Colorado River Basin to help?

June 22nd 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Briefing details successful on the ground projects in Utah, Colorado How much money will it take to save the Colorado River? And is money the answer? It turns out with money, as is with water, e...

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Utah legislative audit probes mineral royalty rates in extraction

June 18th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Audit finds inconsistent royalty rates, incorrect payments and missing documentation A legislative audit heard in a committee Tuesday found glaring inconsistencies in the application of royalty rate...

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Hammer or money? How water providers are pushing change

May 28th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

New construction is key to saving water, including the Colorado River Zach Renstrom has been called a lot of things, and some of them are expletives not suitable for print. Renstrom didn’t get sid...

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Generations past, generations to come: What two reporters took away from a Colorado River trip

May 11th 2024 by Amy Joi O'Donoghue and Emma Pitts / Deseret News

A first-person look at why the Colorado River matters Amy Joi O’Donoghue: I have been on the Colorado River a few times, the first in 2014. It is hard to believe that in August, it will represent a...

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Federal government awarding grants to improve wetlands

May 9th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Money could help improve Great Salt Lake wetlands The Department of the Interior Wednesday announced more than $87 million in funding has been approved by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission...

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2 Utah projects get federal funding to help improve water systems in the West

May 6th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Money designed in part to improve water supply in the Colorado River Basin In another move to build water resilient systems in the West and particularly in the Colorado River Basin, the U.S. Bureau...

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The Colorado River is pictured by Dead Horse Point State Park in Grand County on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)

The Colorado River just called you for help. Will you answer?

May 2nd 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

New media collaborative seeks answers, solutions for the hardest working river in the West Here in a canyon northeast of Moab, it is difficult to fully understand or appreciate the power of this wi...

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The 180-acre Kane Creek development site, which is in a floodplain, is pictured along the Colorado River near Moab on Friday, April 26, 2024. Developers plan to build around 580 residential and commercial units. There is only one road in and out. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Battle for Moab: Residents fight against Kane Creek development

May 2nd 2024 by Emma Pitts / Deseret News

The proposed luxury resort on a former campground site has sparked outcry over environmental and community impacts Utah’s Wild West is no stranger to land conflicts. Unlike the days of the American...

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A group of fourth graders look for wildlife and plants in the water during a Wings and Water field trip at the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve in Layton on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve and USU Botanical Center offer the Wings and Water program for fourth graders to connect them with the lake and get a taste of the beauty, birds and other wildlife the 4,500 acres have to offer. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News

Shorelands Preserve highlights recreation at Great Salt Lake

April 19th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Davis County jewel offers chance to get back to nature, learn about the lake Editor's note: This article is part of an occasional series by the Great Salt Lake Collaborative showcasing the fun side...

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A new plan for the Great Salt Lake Basin is out. Will it help?

April 16th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Plan tackles a number of ways to help the ailing saline body of water, basin The Utah Division of Water Resources and the Bureau of Reclamation announced Monday the finalization of the “work plan” f...

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The tempest of managing policy and water at the Great Salt Lake

March 22nd 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Commissioner Brian Steed breaks down legislation affecting the Great Salt Lake Baby steps and long jumps. There are advocates who firmly believe the state of Utah is not doing enough to save the ail...

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John Luft, program manager of the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem Program, and Kyle Stone, wildlife biologist for the Division of Wildlife Resources, speaks with Rep. Blake Moore and Rep. Jimmy Panetta during a tour of the Great Salt Lake in Willard on Monday, March 18, 2024. | Marielle Scott, Deseret News

Navigating partisan waters: A Utah Republican and California Democrat visit the Great Salt Lake

March 20th 2024 by Brigham Tomco / Deseret News

The 2 congressmen visited Willard Bay aboard an airboat after being paired up in an effort to find solutions across political parties Bobbing up and down on the otherworldly surface of the Great Sal...

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The east end of the Behrens Trench of Compass Minerals connected to the Great Salt Lake is seen on Oct. 18, 2016. | Ravell Call, Deseret News

Do mineral extraction companies on the Great Salt Lake need more oversight?

February 20th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

It is not without controversy, its naysayers and organizations opposed to the new tax burden it imposes on extraction industries operating on the Great Salt Lake, but a legislative measure advanced Tu...

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A sprinkler runs at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Thursday, July 7, 2022. A resolution before the Utah Legislature urges communities to adopt water efficiency standards for new construction. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

80 communities in Great Salt Lake Basin lack water conservation tool

February 16th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Lawmakers say they represent 40% of population While a lot of emphasis has been placed on the agricultural use of water in Utah, particularly in the Great Salt Lake drainage, a resolution is asking...

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A man explores a jetty in the Great Salt Lake at Great Salt Lake State Park in Salt Lake County on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Flurry of water bills advance at Utah Legislature

February 14th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Tracking saved water, wrangling with extraction companies on the menu The popular saying that you can’t manage what you don’t measure is the underlying theme of a legislative proposal that received...

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The health of the Great Salt Lake and changing how we value water

February 7th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

GSL briefing details multifaceted effort to help the saline lake A number of legislative proposals and appropriations dealing with the drought and diversion-stricken Great Salt Lake are winding thei...

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The Willard Spur Waterfowl Management Area near the Great Salt Lake is pictured in Box Elder County on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Could a new $100 million pipeline help the Great Salt Lake and birds?

February 7th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Willard Spur is in desperate need of water, and so is Ogden City A partnership proposed by Ogden City with the state of Utah has the potential to save millions of gallons of water per day, ensure a...

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The water level is rising in the Great Salt Lake due to snowmelt on May 3, 2023. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.

Is water being ‘saved’ for the Great Salt Lake really ending up there?

February 1st 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Utah lawmaker presses measure to prioritize water for the Great Salt Lake Rep. Casey Snider, R-Paradise, wants to “color” the water saved for the Great Salt Lake. If you can imagine taking a red...

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Phragmites line the shore of Utah Lake near Mulberry Beach in Utah County on Jan. 13, 2022. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Invasive phragmites are needlessly sucking water out of Great Salt Lake

February 1st 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Proposal outlines stepped-up removal program for plant As Utah lawmakers, advocates, state agencies and researchers continue to look for answers to help the Great Salt Lake, one funding request aims...

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Farm fields in Utah County, near Spanish Fork, on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News

Funding sought for research, turf buy back program, split season leases

January 30th 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Water funding requests get a hearing at Capitol For the third consecutive year, water is once again a dominant issue at the state Legislature as lawmakers grapple with the issues of water scarcity,...

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Money sought to map groundwater in Utah’s Cache Valley

January 23rd 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Area has not been mapped since 1990s, groundwater is diminishing Cache Valley is highly dependent on groundwater from springs and the valley aquifer, but most groundwater wells monitored by the U.S...

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Panel votes to exempt small water districts of 2,500 or less from metering

January 23rd 2024 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Panel votes to exempt small water districts of 2,500 or less from metering A committee of lawmakers voted Tuesday to potentially broaden the exemptions for those water providers subject to the meter...

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Utah is purchasing land for an eventual water pipeline in Box Elder

November 16th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

The pipeline is for future water deliveries A future pipeline for water deliveries to the growing Wasatch Front may be decades off, but the state of Utah is buying land now in Box Elder County to m...

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How to save Great Salt Lake: Poll says limit development - Deseret News

October 11th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

It may have snowed and snowed and snowed some more last winter, but the record precipitation has done little to douse the concern a majority of Utah residents have over the Great Salt Lake’s condition...

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The west end of the Behrens Trench of Compass Minerals is seen on Oct. 18, 2016. The trench moves brine from the west pond complex to the east pond complex of Compass Minerals.

Lawmaker says Great Salt Lake mining operation is like ‘wild wild West’

August 17th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Legislature intends to rein in Compass Minerals’ operation on the north arm Utah House Majority Leader Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said Compass Minerals operating on the north arm of the Great Salt Lake...

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Brad Blanch looks over a dam on the Weber River in Weber County on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Blanch is a West Weber resident who wants to lease several hundred acre-feet of water to benefit the Great Salt Lake. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

How can farmers help the Great Salt Lake? This one may have an answer

August 10th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust helps people like this Weber County farmer help the lake President Joe Biden made an historic announcement Tuesday designating a new national monument in...

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The Great Salt Lake is pictured on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. The Great Salt Lake Stewardship Act, sponsored by Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is a way to tap into a pool of money already set aside for water projects, but unused.Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

The Great Salt Lake Stewardship Act would let new money flow to help the lake

August 10th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Curtis, Lee push adoption of key legislation The importance behind a key piece of legislation designed to help the Great Salt Lake and its vast watershed was detailed in a congressional subcommittee...

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The Antelope Island marina is pictured in the Great Salt Lake on Monday, June 5, 2023. Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Utah Rep. John Curtis unveiled the Great Salt Lake Stewardship Act, which addresses the ecological crisis facing the Great Salt Lake.Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Lee, Curtis propose more money to help the ailing Great Salt Lake

June 15th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Legislation expands spending authority of Central Utah Completion Act A proposed boost in federal money to help the Great Salt Lake watershed and ultimately the lake itself was introduced Wednesday...

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Two people watch the sunset over the Great Salt Lake from Ladyfinger Point on Antelope Island on Monday, June 5, 2023.Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Water year leaves slightly fewer Utahns worried about Great Salt Lake

June 13th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Poll shows concern remains strong, but slightly diminished in light of snowpack The endless winter storms that draped Utah’s watersheds in a canopy of white, breaking records, collapsing roofs and b...

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New wetlands are seen following the completion of the Freeport Drain project at the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve in Layton on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.Ryan Sun, Deseret News

New wetlands project near Great Salt Lake is nature’s great cleanser

May 18th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Layton shoreline preserve showcases 40-acre wetlands project years in the making A red vintage 1950 McCormick Farmall tractor in cherry condition has been loaded up with hay on its trailer, ferrying...

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The Willard Bay spillway gates are opened for flood mitigation in Box Elder County on Thursday, May 11, 2023.Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Willard Bay releases water to help the Great Salt Lake this spring

May 11th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

71.6 billion gallons of water will come from upstream reservoirs With the turn of a wheel, 650 million gallons of water a day will eventually travel from Willard Bay to the ailing Great Salt Lake...

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The water level is rising in the Great Salt Lake due to snowmelt as photographed from above on Wednesday, May 2, 2023. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.

‘It was fantastic.’ Pilot revels in Great Salt Lake’s wonders

May 4th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Aerial tour by EcoFlight showcases uniqueness of Utah’s saline lake Pilot Gary Kraft has flown over the Great Salt Lake at 15,000 feet, but this week was a different experience. At an altitude o...

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Boats are pictured on land at the Great Salt Lake State Park marina in Magna on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Rising water levels are making the lake accessible to boats again.Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Come sail away: Great Salt Lake Marina in business as water rises

April 25th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Utah state parks plan for open boat ramps at popular reservoirs After being forced to dock their boats at the Great Salt Lake State Park and Marina due to the drought two years ago, sailors are read...

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Dust blows across the dry lakebed of the Great Salt Lake near Salt Lake City on Aug. 12, 2022. The Utah Air Quality Division’s technical team will begin reviewing strategic locations for the placement of four new dust monitors to capture wind events over the Great Salt Lake’s exposed bed to determine the levels of arsenic and other pollutants carried to the Wasatch Front.Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

Great Salt Lake dust events, Utah ozone issues get monitoring money

March 15th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Utah’s pollution problems get a state funding boost to help clear the skies The Utah Air Quality Division’s technical team will begin reviewing strategic locations for the placement of four new dust...

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A couple and their dog walk near the Great Salt Lake on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Shift in Utah water law could be ‘game changer’ for the Great Salt Lake

March 9th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Utah Farm Bureau says new law is a game changer in agricultural water use Critics panned the Utah Legislature for failing to set a target elevation for the Great Salt Lake via a nonbinding resolutio...

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I-80 near the Great Salt Lake on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. The Kem Gardner Institute will soon release a policy briefing on the Great Salt Lake containing six major policy insights and recommendations.Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

New analysis says Great Salt Lake can be saved, but not without great effort, and expense

February 9th 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Even in ‘wet’ years, conservation, policy changes are paramount to restore the lake Life as usual cannot go on in northern Utah if the state wants to replenish the Great Salt Lake to an ideal elevat...

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A northern harrier flies over the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve next to a school in western Davis County on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Development in Davis County has tripled between 1997 and 2022.Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

The Great Salt Lake is shrinking, but habitat work means more birds

February 3rd 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

A growing bird count over 3 years defines success, defies GSL drought The 22-year drought in Utah has been the harbinger of bad news, with everything from the Great Salt Lake dropping to a historic...

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Utah lawmakers: ‘We are not going to let our state go dry on our watch’

January 31st 2023 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Legislators commit to spending a half billion or more on Utah’s water It took more than 150 years since pioneers first arrived in Utah to drop the level of the Great Salt Lake by 11 feet with develo...

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Utah lawmakers unveil two pieces of ‘historic’ legislation for the Great Salt Lake

January 26th 2023 by Kyle Dunphey and Kailey Gilbert / Deseret News

Utah lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled two pieces of legislation aimed at helping the Great Salt Lake that advocates are calling “historic.” One is a resolution that sets a concrete goal for improving...

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Competing news outlets are working together to save the Great Salt Lake. Is it working?

November 18th 2022 by McKenzie Romero / Deseret News

Do you feel like you’ve read/seen/heard more news about the Great Salt Lake in the past several months than you have in, like, years? You’re not wrong. This article is published through the Great...

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A panoramic photo shows the sun setting over the Great Salt Lake on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. This photo was made with a drone which stitched together multiple photos, creating a single one.Ben B. Braun, Deseret News

The memory of Great Salt Lake runs deep, even if the water doesn’t

October 24th 2022 by McKenzie Romero / Deseret News

Why Utah reporters are teaming up with their competitors to tell the lake’s stories — and search for solutions At 98 years old, Alice Telford has known the Great Salt Lake longer than most, with mem...

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Phill Kiddoo, air pollution control officer for the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, shows journalists a tube that collects fine particulate, one measure of how much is being blown around in the wind, at an air quality monitoring site on the north shore of Mono Lake in Mono County, California, on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

Why isn't the state monitoring Great Salt Lake's dust?

October 12th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Is Utah behind the curve when it comes to dust mitigation from the drying Great Salt Lake? Owens Lake in California, once the nation’s largest source of dust pollution, has nine monitoring stations...

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Maj. Kristin “Beo” Wolfe flies during an F-35A Lightning II demonstration team show at Hill Air Force Base near Layton on Friday, June 3, 2022. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Can the Great Salt Lake and its dust pollution derail Utah military operations? Officials look for answers.

October 12th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Lone Pine, Calif — At Owens Lake in California, once the nation’s most notorious site for dust pollution so intense you could taste it in your mouth, the mission of the nation’s largest on-land naval...

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Arrash Agahi, who oversees regulatory compliance of Owens Lake for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, looks at an area of the lakebed that has been converted to a brine pool to reduce blowing dust while giving journalists a tour of the project area on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

Five things to know about Owens Lake

October 10th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

what makes Owens Lake in California different, but similar to Utah’s Great Salt Lake. Like Owens Lake, the Great Salt Lake is a terminal saline lake in the Great Basin. The basin covers more than...

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The rising sun reflects off of pools of water and brine that are part of the Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Program on the mostly dry lakebed in Inyo County, California, on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

The saline lakes of the Great Basin and why they are in trouble

October 9th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

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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Izabel and Mary LePique take photos at the Great Salt Lake in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.Ben B. Braun, Deseret News

Poll: How worried are Utahns about the Great Salt Lake?

September 29th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

The declining water levels at the Great Salt Lake and what it may mean for Utah’s future have a majority of Utah residents concerned about its condition, and they are willing to have lawmakers throw m...

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Rose Smith, Sageland Collaborative stream ecologist, talks about a beaver dam analog in Corner Canyon Creek in Draper on Monday, Aug. 8, 2022. The structures were built to raise the water table and create a more conducive habitat for native riparian and wetland vegetation.Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Can mimicking beavers help save the Great Salt Lake?

August 26th 2022 by Jacob Klopfenstein / Deseret News

About five years ago, Willy Stockman’s home on the bank of Emigration Creek became a wildlife hot spot. In the summers of 2017 and 2018, elk, coyotes and turkeys started showing up in her backyard...

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What Sen. Mitt Romney, House Speaker Brad Wilson saw on the Great Salt Lake

August 18th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

To save the Great Salt Lake, its complex ecosystem and its value to the state of Utah and the West, one has to know the Great Salt Lake. To that end, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and state House S...

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Record low water levels are seen in the Great Salt Lake by the Antelope Island marina on Friday, July 22, 2022. State leaders are working on solutions to help restore the lake. Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

House Speaker Brad Wilson: ‘We are just getting started’ saving the Great Salt Lake

August 2nd 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Against the backdrop of lush marshes whistling along the shores of the Great Salt Lake at Farmington Bay, Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson worried the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere is a...

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Carroll Dolson, a member of the Chesapeake Duck Club near Corinne, Box Elder County, prepares his boat club on Wednesday, July 13, 2022.Ben B. Braun, Deseret News

How duck hunters, wetlands and conservation help the Great Salt Lake

July 21st 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Conservation of Great Salt Lake wetlands dates back to the late 1800s. Now it’s more important than ever Hunting is about more than just killing, it is about saving. Shortly after the Civil War, p...

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The Great Salt Lake State Park on Friday, June 10, 2022. Water levels at the Great Salt Lake are continuing to reach record lows due to drought.Laura Seitz, Deseret News

What Mitt Romney wants to do to help save Utah’s Great Salt Lake

July 14th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

New measure explores ways to get more water to the lake, adds more money With the Great Salt Lake dropping to its new historic low this summer and projected to decline even more before year’s end, t...

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Christine Ray pushes daughter Bonnie Ray on a paddle board at Bear Lake’s Rendezvous Beach in Rich County on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. A new study reveals visitors to Bear Lake last summer pumped $48 million into the northern Utah region during more than a million days and nights of visitation.Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

How Bear Lake pumps millions of dollars into Utah, and what it might mean for Great Salt Lake

June 29th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

A new study reveals visitors to Bear Lake last summer pumped $48 million into the northern Utah region during more than a million days and nights of visitation. That is a ton of money in a rural are...

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Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, left, shakes hand with University of Utah President Taylor Randall at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Wildlife Education Center in Farmington on Thursday, June 23, 2022, before a roundtable discussion on issues concerning the Great Salt Lake.Mengshin Lin, Deseret News

What U. President Taylor Randall hopes to learn about the Great Salt Lake

June 23rd 2022 by Marjorie Cortez / Deseret News

With the picturesque Farmington Bay as a backdrop, state legislative leaders, the president of the state’s flagship university, academics, scientists and advocates shared ideas about the next steps to...

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Lane Henderson, of Riverton, competes in a 1-mile open swim competition at Great Salt Lake State Park in Magna on Saturday, June 11, 2022.Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Can you swim in Utah’s Great Salt Lake? These people do it every year

June 18th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

‘You either love it or you hate it, there’s no in between,’ one swimmer says Forget about the bugs. They are only with you for a little bit on this journey. As intrepid water enthusiasts took to t...

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Rod Magnuson examines his Hydrogreen feed growing operation at his ranch in Castle Dale, Emery County. The new technology transforms seed into feed within a matter of days and uses less than one-tenth of the water required for traditional alfalfa fields. With drought and the escalating cost of alfalfa, Magnuson said he turned to this technique to continue his family’s legacy of ranching.Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Can this technology be an answer to farmland water use in the West?

June 6th 2022 by Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Deseret News & Dan Spindle, KSL TV / Deseret News

From seed to livestock feed in 5 days with minimal water Rod Magnuson has a nice spread in rural Utah, raising cattle and alfalfa in an operation that is the backbone of a fourth-generation legacy s...

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One of two Arthur V. Watkins Dam siphon pipes that will be replaced with a direct outlet pipe is visible in Willard Bay’s low water levels in Box Elder County on Friday, May 20, 2022. The purpose of both the existing siphon pipes and future delivery conduit is to move fresh water from Willard Bay to the pictured canal that supplies several industrial customers.Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

‘Water is not going to magically appear,’ says Interior’s Tanya Trujillo

May 20th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

How money can help the West navigate the water supply issue of drought Communities across the West and elsewhere in the country are tapping more than 660 million reasons to boost the integrity of wa...

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Traffic passes a grassy landscape on Green Valley Parkway in suburban Henderson, Nev., on April 9, 2021. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak signed legislation on June 4, 2021, to make the state the first in the nation to ban certain kinds of grass. The measure banned water users in southern Nevada from planting decorative grass in an effort to conserve water.Ken Ritter, Associated Press

Will horrific drought make lawns in the West a memory?

May 4th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Southern Nevada prohibits ‘ornamental’ turf in some areas By 2027, more than 5,000 acres of what are deemed useless or simply ornamental turf will be ripped out of the Las Vegas Valley in what is th...

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Will Munger, a doctoral student in Utah State University in the Department of Environment and Society, poses for a photo along Emigration Creek in Wasatch Hollow Preserve in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 15, 2022.Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Why a dry Chilean lagoon matters to the future of the Great Salt Lake

April 21st 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Back in its heyday, the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake boasted multiple resorts offering dining, dancing, concerts, picnic pavilions, a bowling alley. Thousands swarmed these resorts for entertainme...

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Students from Creekside Elementary explore the marshes at the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve as part of The Nature Conservancy’s Wings & Water program in Layton on Wednesday, April 20, 2022.Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Could Utah children help shape the destiny of the ailing Great Salt Lake?

April 20th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Studies show link between youth education, protecting nature To save the Great Salt Lake is to know its worth. To know its worth is to be educated about why it matters. For 16 years, The Nature Co...

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Visitors to Silver Sand Beach at the Great Salt Lake Marina are reflected on still water as they walk around during a rainstorm on Aug. 18, 2021.  Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News

Deseret News joins Solutions Network collaborative focused on Great Salt Lake

March 7th 2022 by McKenzie Romero / Deseret News

They say a rising tide lifts all boats. But if we’re hoping to lift any boats in the Great Salt Lake, we’re going to need a lot of help. Utah’s salty stalwart, the unique and often misunderstood e...

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Three Black Hawk helicopters from the Utah Army National Guard carrying Utah lawmakers lift off from the south lawn of the Capitol in Salt Lake City for an aerial tour of the Great Salt Lake on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.  Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

It was the year of the Great Salt Lake for Utah lawmakers, but was it enough? Here’s what experts have to say

March 6th 2022 by Kyle Dunphey / Deseret News

‘I couldn’t be happier,’ Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said of lawmakers’ efforts in the 2022 Utah Legislative Session For Utah lawmakers, it was the year of the Great Salt Lake. After being accused of ye...

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The Great Salt Lake as seen on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. Advocates, researchers and others are concerned about the future of the lake.  Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Is it too late to save the diminishing Great Salt Lake?

March 6th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Advocates, researchers and others intimately acquainted with the Great Salt Lake have watched with dread over the last two decades as it has steadily dwindled to a trickle of its former self. Its ai...

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The Great Salt Lake’s low water levels are visible from the air on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. A committee of lawmakers on Friday unanimously approved a measure that would infuse $40 million worth of solutions into helping the ailing lake. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Will a $40M trust save the Great Salt Lake? Lawmakers hope so

February 18th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Utah legislative committee unanimously endorses measure A committee of Utah lawmakers on Friday unanimously approved a measure that would infuse $40 million worth of solutions into helping the ailin...

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A Blackhawk helicopter flies over the Great Salt Lake as Utah lawmakers take an aerial tour of the Great Salt Lake with the Utah Army National Guard. The group left from the Capitol in Salt Lake City Utah on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.

‘It really hit home how bad it is’: Utah lawmakers get aerial tour of Great Salt Lake

February 15th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Blackhawk tour highlights ‘shocking’ condition of lake A group of Utah legislators flew over the shrinking Great Salt Lake early Tuesday morning to see just how badly it is diminishing due to drough...

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Water runs out of Tibble Fork Reservoir in American Fork Canyon on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022.

Concern over Utah’s drought high, snowpack diminishing during dry spell

February 1st 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Forecast says Utah and the West look to remain in drought A new poll shows an overwhelming majority of Utah residents are concerned about the drought and a mostly dry January isn’t doing much to eas...

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Low water levels are pictured in the Great Salt Lake near Tooele County on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022.

The proposed plan to save the Great Salt Lake from drought

January 25th 2022 by Kyle Dunphey / Deseret News

A new bill unveiled Tuesday would establish unprecedented guidelines for how Utah should respond to its shrinking Great Salt Lake. Lake Mead, Lake Powell and the Great Salt Lake all hit record lows...

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What you need to know about water in Utah and why you should care

What you need to know about water in Utah and why you should care

January 24th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

Management is complex in one of the nation’s driest states Utah’s use of water and the delivery systems that get the finite resource to the tap, farms, fields and landscaping is likely to be front a...

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Low water levels are pictured in the Great Salt Lake near Tooele County on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022.Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Saving the ‘otherworldly’ place of Utah’s declining inland sea

January 4th 2022 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

First Great Salt Lake Summit strives for solutions Brad Wilson, a bunch of other folks and a dog named Max took to the waters of the Great Salt Lake on airboats one recent December morning. Wilso...

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The shores of the Great Salt Lake on the southwest side of Antelope Island are pictured on Thursday, May 10, 2018 Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

Great Salt Lake: A lake no more?

February 10th 2018 by Amy Joi O’Donoghue / Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — There are two things the waters of the Great Salt Lake and agricultural lands have in common: they are both in steady, rapid decline. A three-day forum hosted by Friends of the Grea...

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