As we head into 2025, the team at Great Salt Lake Collaborative would like to thank each of you for taking the time to be engaged on these important issues.Our coverage spanned a wide range of topics connected to the Great Salt Lake and the Colorado River in 2024, from water levels to environmental impacts to small moments of human connection.
We’ve compiled the Top 10 stories by traffic on our website from 2024. Take a look at the stories our community was most engaged with over the last year, and please join us next year as we continue to cover these critical issues. Sign up for our newsletter, or consider a donation, to continue your support for local journalism in the new year. Thank you for all you do!
No. 10
‘It’s a losing battle’: Approved Tooele inland port developments frustrate local residents.
Tooele County resident Chris Eddington, whose backyard borders the recently approved Tooele Valley Inland Port project, pets his pony on February 27, 2024. (Photo credit: Xiangyao “Axe” Tang)
No. 9
Damage to Glen Canyon Dam reveals vulnerabilities of the entire Colorado River system.
(EcoFlight) An aerial view of the Glen Canyon Dam at Lake Powell on April 14, 2022.
No. 8
Battle for Moab: Residents fight against Kane Creek development.
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
No. 7
Why work has stopped on a wall to keep ‘highly acidic’ waste away from the Great Salt Lake.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) US Magnesium, which has ceased operations at the magnesium plant on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake, is pictured on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. On Friday, a Utah judge appointed a receiver to take over the company, after state officials argued it was failing to do work required under a 2021 settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
No. 6
Utah teens lead 2034 Olympics-inspired protest supporting Great Salt Lake.
Utah teens wear gas masks and ski goggles at Olympic Cauldron Park during a demonstration in support of Great Salt Lake on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. The teens want to see Utah legislators do more to protect the lake. (Topaz Henderson/Utah Youth Environmental Solutions)
No. 5
Great Salt Lake license plates could hit bumpers in the next couple of months
Utahns are eager for the new Great Salt Lake speciality license plates. Several stories about the incoming auto accessory performed well on our website and social media, but this update from Adam Small and KSL News Radio on their pending arrival was the top performing post.
No. 4
Great Salt Lake's levels are now as high as last year's peak. How much more will it gain?
A man looks out over the shoreline at Great Salt Lake State Park in Salt Lake County on Feb. 7. The lake's southern arm is already back to its 2023 peak and could reach 4,195 feet elevation this year for the first time since 2019, experts say. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News).
Carter Williams with KSL.com look at lake levels in March. Then, the south arm sat at 4,194.1 feet. Today, the lake sits two feet lower.
No. 3
Rare mirabilite formations spotted on Great Salt Lake
File -- Mark Milligan, with the Utah Geological Survey, takes a photo of a mound formed by the mineral mirabilite on the shores of the Great Salt Lake on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. (Scott G. Winterton/Deseret News)
Mariah Maynes with KSL News Radio took a closer look at the conditions that cause these unusual formations at Great Salt Lake. These rare mirabilite mounds can only be found in a few areas beyond Utah, including the Canadian Arctic, Antarctica and Central Spain.
No. 2
A simple change could save the West from drought. You probably won't like it.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) A cow stands in a pen, May 19, 2021.
This story by Leia Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune explains why the amount of irrigated acreage in the Great Salt Lake Basin went down but the amount of water agriculture consumed went up. The reason? We love cheese.
No. 1
Legendary angler gives plenty of reasons to protect the 'best' river in the world
Legendary fly fisherman Emmett Heath at little hole along the Green River in Utah. (Sheri Quinn/UPR)
“Fly fishing is Emmett Heath's heaven and the Green River is his god.” That was the lede for this feature on a legendary angler by Sheri Quinn with Utah Public Radio, and his story proved to resonate deeply with many in our community and with readers beyond Utah as well!
That wraps up our Top 10 for 2024! Thank you for sticking with the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, and we’ll see you in 2025.
