A disturbing study published last month in Environmental Challenges it is said that nearly two-thirds of the Great Salt Lake's shrinkage is due to human use of river water that would otherwise refill the lake.
Utah's Great Salt Lake is a relic of a once vast lake that occupied the same area during the Ice Age. The lake level has changed since then dimensions it began in 1847, but it is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) long and 35 miles (56 km) wide with a maximum depth of 33 feet (10 meters). The water level of the Great Salt Lake hit a record low in 2021, that is kidnapped next year.
According to a recent paper, about 62% of the river water that would otherwise replenish the lake is instead used for “anthropogenic consumption.” The research team found that agricultural use cases are responsible for 71% of human-caused depletions; moreover, about 80% of agricultural water is used for crops to feed just under a million cattle.
“The research highlights the alarming role of water consumption for livestock feeding in driving the rapid depletion of the lake,” said William Ripple, an ecologist at Oregon State University and co-author of the paper, in a university release.
The lake is no stranger to change; A Utah State University report indicated that lake water levels have decreased since the mid-19th century. As done by the United States Geological Survey Utah Water Science Center report, the division of the lake by a railroad in 1959 significantly changed the salinity levels in the newly created half of the lake, and since the water body has no rivers or streams, the its water level changes dramatically due to evaporation or heavy rainfall.
“Abnormally large snowmelt flows in the 1980s and 1990s served to temporarily mask long-term declines in lake levels, and the lake actually reached its highest level in more than a century in 1987,” said by Ripple. “But it's been dropping about 4 inches per year on average since then.”
The researchers proposed a goal to reduce the anthropogenic consumption of river water in the area by 35% to start refilling the lake, as well as a detailed breakdown of specific reductions within the feed production of animal
“We found that the most effective solution involved a 61% reduction in alfalfa production along with a 26-55% drop in grass production,” the team wrote, “resulting in reductions in agricultural profits that US$97 million per year, or 0.04% of the state's GDP.” The team added that Utah residents could be compensated for their loss of income. It's an easier plan to propose on paper than to sell people as a reality, but it's a path to recovery for Great Salt. Lake.
As the team added, the lake directly supports 9,000 jobs and $2.5 billion in economic productivity, primarily from mining, recreation, and brine shrimp fishing. Exposed saline lakebeds (such as the Great Salt Lake is increasing as its water level drops) are also associated with dust that can pose health risks due to its effects on the human respiratory system.
Today, the average level and volume of the Great Salt Lake continues to decline. But the team's research revealed a particular pain point and suggested ways to reduce the strain on this great—but shrinking—water body.
