PREVIEW - The Friday Edition: What happened to: The Great Salt Lake's collapse.

11 snips

Aug 1, 2025

A startling report at the start of 2023 warned that Utah’s Great Salt Lake could vanish within five years. Surprisingly, water levels have since increased, prompting a reevaluation of the predictions. The discussion delves into scientific misconceptions and the implications for public trust. Experts emphasize the lake's crucial role in the ecosystem and the challenges posed by climate change and human consumption. Ultimately, the conversation highlights the importance of effective communication in tackling environmental issues.

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INSIGHT

Critical Importance of Great Salt Lake

The Great Salt Lake was predicted in 2023 to disappear within five years due to rapid water loss.
The lake supports thousands of jobs, key industries, and crucial bird migration ecosystems.

INSIGHT

Lake Recovery and Skepticism

The lake's water loss slowed and levels increased by three feet by 2024.
This challenges the initial dire prediction, leading to political skepticism.

INSIGHT

Unique Ecology of the Lake

The Great Salt Lake is terminal with no outflow, resulting in high salinity.
Division by a railroad causeway created distinct north and south arms with different salinity levels.

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In the early days of 2023, a group of researchers and activists published a report with a shocking conclusion: Utah’s Great Salt Lake was losing water so fast that it was on track to effectively disappear within five years. Since the report was issued, the Great Salt Lake’s water loss not only slowed, but its water level actually increased. In June 2024, the lake’s two sides — which are divided by an embankment — were three feet higher than they had been two years prior.

So what happened here? At first blush, the story appears to be an example of science gone wrong — an exaggerated claim of imminent danger, founded on flawed assumptions and questionable processes, that damaged the public’s trust in the scientific community and its receptiveness to future warnings. But could it actually be a story of the power of concerted action, or poor science communication in the media?

Drawing on interviews with the lead authors on the 2023 “five-year” report, Utah’s Great Salt Lake commissioner, a former member of Utah's Air Quality Board and an expert on the lake’s atmospheric effects, we’ll explore the uncertain future of the Great Salt Lake — the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and a critical resource for the health and aspirations of millions of people.

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