Salt Lake Tribune
Study shines more light on toxins in Great Salt Lake dust
November 16th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Utah lawmaker wants to pump millions of gallons of groundwater near the Great Salt Lake
November 16th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 a...
After a record water year, did Utahns’ conservation habits stick?
November 1st 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Salt Lake City wins $1 million for a public art project about the Great Salt Lake
October 19th 2023 by Palak Jayswal / Salt Lake Tribune
The proposal the city submitted to Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge is for a project called “Wake: The Great Salt Lake.” Salt Lake City has won a $1 million grant from Bloomberg Phila...
New lithium company wants billions of gallons from Great Salt Lake, but says it will put it all back
September 7th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Groups sue Utah, trying to save Great Salt Lake with the public trust doctrine
September 7th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Why do so many inland port projects include Great Salt Lake wetlands?
August 18th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 i...
Mining company responds to concerns about its plans at Great Salt Lake, but lawmakers aren’t happy
August 17th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 clapp...
Compass Minerals makes big claims about Great Salt Lake lithium but lacks state approvals
August 17th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Great Salt Lake’s hidden treasure to be largely left alone
August 10th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Great Salt Lake Summit emphasizes one snow-heavy winter won’t be enough
July 19th 2023 by Jordan Miller / Salt Lake Tribune
Activists and experts from across the state gathered Saturday to discuss problems facing the Great Salt Lake after a historic winter. The People’s Great Salt Lake Summit, hosted at Salt Lake City Co...
Thousands of nesting birds have vanished at Great Salt Lake’s Gunnison Island
July 5th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 f...
Does Utah need (or want) a sixth national park?
June 15th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Great Salt Lake boaters return as water rises more than five feet
June 8th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
The first-appointed Great Salt Lake czar heartened by wet winter but says ‘we still have great cause for concern’
May 25th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Great Salt Lake is still blowing dangerous dust
May 19th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Where is all the floodwater along the Wasatch Front going to end up?
April 20th 2023 by Jacob Scholl / Salt Lake Tribune
Floodwater flowing through northern Utah should likely end up in the same place — the state’s most recognizable landmark. All along the Wasatch, snowmelt is flowing into creeks, reservoirs and — un...
Great Salt Lake is up over 3 feet — but it has a long way to go to healthy
April 20th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 w...
Here’s how much water golf courses use across Utah
April 10th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
How much water does your golf course use?
April 10th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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. Click here for the spreadsheet.
Utah golf courses say they’re reducing water use. Some can prove it.
April 10th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
LDS Church to permanently donate thousands of acre-feet of water to the Great Salt Lake
March 16th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Farmers are skeptical about participating in water leasing to save the Great Salt Lake. Here’s why.
March 14th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 s...
Utah regulators to deny permit for landfill on the shores of Great Salt Lake
February 23rd 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 controver...
Scientists say thinning forests won’t help the Great Salt Lake. Here’s how they know.
February 13th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Tribes still not consulted as state tries to save Great Salt Lake
February 9th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 n...
How the LDS Church could prevent its headquarters from becoming a toxic wasteland
February 9th 2023 by Peggy Fletcher Stack and Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
Utah’s predominant faith has a huge stake — and could have a huge say — in the Great Salt Lake’s survival. It sounds like a plot from an apocalyptic movie. A beleaguered 19th-century band of spiri...
Gov. Cox orders Great Salt Lake causeway be raised again in effort to stave off ecological collapse
February 4th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 ca...
Experts say pumping ocean water to the Great Salt Lake would cost a lot but help very little
February 3rd 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Are trees ‘the enemy?’ “Yellow Cake” legislators claim logging can save Great Salt Lake, but scientists are doubtful.
January 20th 2023 by Brian Maffly / Salt Lake Tribune
Do trees suck? You bet they do, and it’s time we do something about it, according to a group of conservative Utah lawmakers. Claiming “overgrown” forests are guzzling Utah’s water resources dry, rur...
Scientists sounded the alarm about the Great Salt Lake. Are lawmakers listening?
January 18th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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, an...
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Great Salt Lake set to vanish in 5 years, experts warn Utah lawmakers
January 5th 2023 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Dear Legislature: Here’s what you can do in 2023 to save the Great Salt Lake
January 3rd 2023 by Sofia Jeremias and Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
Para leer este artículo en español, haz clic aquí. Advocates, farmers and lobbyists serve up solutions for rescuing the hemorrhaging body of water. Will Utah save the Great Salt Lake before it’s t...
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Utah DEQ denies US Magnesium’s request to extend water canals deeper into the Great Salt Lake
December 29th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 conti...
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Will December’s big storms make a difference for the Great Salt Lake?
December 23rd 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 opti...
One crop uses more than half of Utah’s water. Here’s why.
December 15th 2022 by Brian Maffly and Mark Eddington / Salt Lake Tribune
Hay and alfalfa feed beef and dairy production and support rural life, but together, they soak up two-thirds of Utah’s water. Mount Carmel — When the water is running through the ditches connect...
‘We must do whatever is necessary’: Mitt Romney’s bill funding study of Great Salt Lake sails through Senate
December 8th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 Wes...
The Great Salt Lake’s most important source of water has a troubled history. But there is hope its future may be better.
December 6th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 m...
Gov. Cox put new water rights on hold. Will it actually help the Great Salt Lake?
November 28th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 wate...
The Great Salt Lake’s ecological collapse has begun
November 20th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 continu...
Another wild idea to save the Great Salt Lake: Pumping groundwater with nuclear energy
October 28th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 l...
‘Just add water and stir’ — Owens Lake shows Utahns that even when salty lakes hit their lowest point, they can recover
October 12th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
To balance its competing needs, is it time to follow Mono Lake's lead and mandate an elevation for the Great Salt Lake?
October 12th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
When it comes to saving terminal lakes like the Great Salt Lake, understanding every drop in the watershed matters
October 11th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Five things to know about Mono Lake
October 11th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
The public trust doctrine prevented Mono Lake from drying up. Could it be used to save the Great Salt Lake?
October 11th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
The people living near Owens Lake endured decades of toxic dust. Here’s why they stayed.
October 10th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 Uni...
What Utah can learn from the monumental effort to reduce dust at Owens Lake
October 10th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 Sa...
The Great Salt Lake isn’t just for the birds — it’s part of a water network that ties Utah to the rest of the West and the world
October 9th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Xeriscaping? Charging higher fees? See what your city is doing to save water.
September 28th 2022 by Alixel Cabrera and Blake Apgar / Salt Lake Tribune
Cities across the Salt Lake Valley are saving this precious resource by easing landscape rules, providing incentives and improving fixtures. During a record-setting sweltering August, water consumpt...
Great Salt Lake managers raise causeway berm in effort to stave off rising salinity
September 23rd 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
New threat to Great Salt Lake? Mineral company wants to extend its canals.
September 7th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 u...
Utah youths hold ‘die-in’ for Great Salt Lake, challenge elected leaders to take bolder action
September 2nd 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Here’s how the Great Saltair became a relic
August 22nd 2022 by Palak Jayswal / Salt Lake Tribune
The site of the old Saltair resort — actually, three of them — can give a visitor the feeling that something is haunting them. The historical sites are somewhat reminiscent of a ghost town, and the...
U.S. Senate approves $10 million to study Great Salt Lake
July 28th 2022 by Emily Anderson Stern / Salt Lake Tribune
“We must to be willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure we preserve this iconic body of water,” members of Utah’s congressional delegation said. A bill proposed by members of Utah’s congress...
Lawn gone: ‘Localscaping’ may save water, but can it rescue the Great Salt Lake?
July 26th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
The idea is catching on in cities as Utahns shift their thinking about landscaping. The trick is ensuring enough water trickles downstream.
GSL Collaborative puts Gov. Spencer Cox on the record: Utah got 'lacksidasical' about water, but he's still optimistic
July 25th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 i...
See an up-close view of Great Salt Lake’s shrinking shoreline — from Spiral Jetty to the state park marina
July 19th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
With the Great Salt Lake in peril, are golf courses a luxury Utah can no longer afford?
July 15th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 Ju...
Yes, data centers use a lot of water. But a Utah company shows it doesn’t have to be that way.
July 11th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 t...
Great Salt Lake hits another new low — ‘this is not the type of record we like to break’
July 5th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 wat...
Utah will soon have water judges. This is what they’ll do and why it matters.
June 29th 2022 by Saige Miller / Salt Lake Tribune
For the last 25 years that Scott Martin has been practicing water law in Utah, the concept of appointing water judges or creating a water court has been a topic of conversation many times. “And it’s...
Spiral Jetty: A barometer for the Great Salt Lake, or a work of art unto itself?
June 26th 2022 by Palak Jayswal / Salt Lake Tribune
Like any work of art, the value of Spiral Jetty — easily the most recognizable artwork in Utah — depends on how you look at it. Jaimi Butler, the coordinator of Westminster College’s Great Salt Lake...
A solution to Great Salt Lake’s algal blooms? Pipe wastewater to where the brine shrimp graze.
June 4th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 Gre...
N. Utah seeing its worst dust in a decade. Why the drying Great Salt Lake isn’t to blame — yet.
May 13th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 conditi...
Big dam, small dam, no dam — What’s the right water answer for this growing Utah community?
May 12th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
Stifling drought to take its toll on Great Salt Lake, lawns, wildlife and why recent rains won’t change that
May 6th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
How the Great Salt Lake soon could be powering your phone, computer and car
April 17th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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...
‘Embrace the salt’ — A kayaker’s quest to share up-close views of an ‘epic’ but shriveling Great Salt Lake
April 10th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
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 • B...
After decades of waiting, Antelope Island State Park visitor center is getting a $13 million makeover
April 9th 2022 by Daedan Olander / Salt Lake Tribune
The renovation and expansion will incorporate research space where scientists can study Great Salt Lake and where visitors can learn about the challenges the landmark is facing. After state official...
‘Very positive change.’ New Utah law will be an important step toward saving the Great Salt Lake.
March 17th 2022 by Saige Miller / Salt Lake Tribune
Under HB33, water right holders can finally lease their water to fill the shrinking lake and other natural lands. This story is part of The Salt Lake Tribune’s ongoing commitment to identify solutio...
Tribune joins 17 Utah organizations to elevate solutions for Great Salt Lake
March 7th 2022 by Lauren Gustus / Salt Lake Tribune
The lake is at its lowest level on record and today holds half its historic average Over the past year, Salt Lake Tribune reporters and photographers have written about the economic and environmenta...
Reinvent Utah farms to save our soil and Great Salt Lake?
February 25th 2022 by Luke Peterson / Salt Lake Tribune
A Utah soil conference offered sustainable alternatives to traditional farming This story is part of The Salt Lake Tribune’s ongoing commitment to identify solutions to Utah’s biggest challenges thr...
‘Pray for snow’ — Utah lawmakers tour the vanishing Great Salt Lake from the sky
February 16th 2022 by Leia Larsen / Salt Lake Tribune
“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’...
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