Great Salt Lake reaches new low point, ecosystem imperiled by salinity ‘tipping point’

Details: By Roger McDonough; Category: KCPW; July 7, 2022

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A storm over the Great Salt Lake on May 29, 2022 (Roger McDonough | KCPW)

The Great Salt Lake has again dropped to a new historic low.

The U.S. Geological Survey and the Utah Division of Natural Resources report that measurements gathered Sunday showed an average daily surface water elevation of 4,190.1 feet — a new low in the lake’s recorded history dating back to 1847. The lake is predicted to shrink even further in the coming weeks and months.

Scientists have been warning of a tipping point for the lake where an increase in salinity due to low water levels leads to a cascading collapse of the ecosystem. That could spell disaster for algae, the brine shrimp and brine flies that feed on that algae, and the millions of migratory birds that use those brine shrimp and flies as a crucial protein source.

Today on “In the Hive,” a conversation about the drying up and too-salty Great Salt Lake.

Guest: Dr. Bonnie Baxter, a biologist and director of Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College.

Roger McDonough

Producer, News Host at KCPW

Roger has an M.A. in Public Policy and Development Management from Georgetown University, a parallel degree from the Universidad Nacional de San Martín (Argentina), and a B.A. in English from the University of Utah. A practiced freelance print and radio journalist and Salt Lake City native, Roger provides local news weekday afternoons and hosts Behind the Headlines. He previously contributed to KCPW with an award-winning local history segment that was developed in partnership with the Salt Lake City Public Library, where he worked for nine years. Roger says he is drawn to public radio because he’s an auditory learner, and calls radio “the best medium in the world.” E-mail him in English or Spanish at rmcdonough@kcpw.org.