The Great Salt Lake is disappearing – Can it be saved? And does it need saving?

Having already lost half its surface area, some believe that the Great Salt Lake is on the verge of nonexistence. Climate change is a contributing factor, but the region’s water use is the primary culprit.

Could the tiny migratory bird – Wilson’s phalathrope – be its savior? And does the lake even need to be rescued?

Somewhere near 250,000 of the tiny bird - accounting for a third of the species total population - migrate to Salt Lake each summer to feed on alkali and brine flies, and brine shrimp. The trek allows the birds to double in size and go on their merry way.

A coalition of concerned citizens has filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the Wilson’s phalarope as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. If successful, it opens the door for federal intervention. Given this effort, one might assume that the local government is ignoring the issue, but that isn’t the case.

The lake needs more water and Utah’s legislature has invested over $1 billion toward water conversation and infrastructure. Most of the funding has been targeted at making agricultural operations more efficient. Still, the coalition and others believe more must be done.

The lake needs 3 million acre feet of freshwater in each of the next five years to restore its water levels to 4,198 feet above sea level. That’s double what has been feeding into the lake in recent years.

But here’s the rub, concern over the survival of the lake is diminishing.

Why?

Because there has been record snowfalls in the last two years.

That prompted Utah Gov. Spencer Cox - a Republican and Alfalfa farmer – to state that scientists’ studies predicting the lake could still go dry within the next five years were “laughable.”

“It’s a joke and everybody knows it’s a joke,” he added.

Well, apparently not everybody.

Ben Abbot, a professor pf ecosystem ecology at Brigham Young University and others believe that the lake would have already collapsed if not for the last two winters.

The battle involving the lake-saving bird will play out over the next year. In theory, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has 90 days to review the petition. In reality, it could take much longer. If the feds feel an endangered species listing is warranted it will conduct a year-long study. In government-speak that means it could take years.

The coalition hopes that the petition will spur local authorities to do more, but that might be wishful thinking.

Studies have shown that climate change only accounts for 9% of the water decline. Most of the problem stems from water use - 75% of which goes to agriculture.

Hmmm… I wonder how much water it takes to grow alfalfa?

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