Great Salt Lake Is 'In Peril' as Its Level Drops to Its Lowest Point Ever for the Second Consecutive Year

A record-breaking new low was recorded on Sunday at the southern end of Utah's Great Salt Lake, where the average daily surface water elevation was 4,190.1 feet, according to authorities.

The Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced the news in a joint press statement on Tuesday.

This is the second time in a year that the lake has experienced a record-low elevation.

Historic low level of the Great Salt Lake in Utah

(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The elevation measured on Sunday was lower than the previous historic low level, which was 4,190.2 feet in October, according to the Utah DNR and USGS.

The previous record-breaking low elevation was 4,191.35 feet in October 1963.

According to Joel Ferry, executive director of the Utah DNR, this is not the kind of record people would like to break.

To help safeguard and maintain this important resource, immediate action is required as the lake is obviously having problems.

According to officials, the Great Salt Lake will continue to experience decreased elevation before the autumn or winter "until the volume of incoming water to the lake equals or surpasses evaporative losses," based on historical statistics.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, the announcement comes amid a persistent drought in the state and the effects of climate change.

However, the Great Salt Lake is not the only significant body of water experiencing a sharp decline in elevation.

According to The Associated Press, Lake Mead, the largest artificial reservoir in the nation, was completely filled around two decades ago.

Nevertheless, Lake Mead is currently experiencing low levels after officials found human remains and a previously sunk boat from World War II there.

Also Read: Utah Faces an Environmental Catastrophe as the Great Salt Lake Continues to Dry Up

Lake poses numerous potential impacts

Water officials reported that water evaporation and depletion have surpassed the volume of water entering the lake.

The Utah Department of Natural Resources' Great Salt Lake coordinator, Laura Vernon, said that in order to make up for the water that the lake regularly loses, they would want to see it grow by at least 2.5 feet a year.

But this year, Vernon told CNN, "the water literally swelled over one foot this past year."

According to Vernon, there are "many possible repercussions" from the shrinking Great Salt Lake, especially on the economy.

According to a governmental study, the Great Salt Lake generates $1.3 billion in the annual economy from the mining, harvesting, and leisure industries.

The annual economic cost if the lake keeps drying up would be between $1.7 billion and $2.2 billion.

Vernon also pointed out that if the lake dried away, at least 6,500 people in Utah may lose their employment because the lake supports about 7,7000 jobs in the region.

According to Vernon, the effects might be rather significant from an economic standpoint.

O'Leary stated that they anticipate lake levels "will continue to plummet" until the water entering the lake equals, if not exceeds, the water leaving it, which typically happens in the late summer or early autumn.

Water may flow into terminal lakes like the Great Salt Lake but not out of the basin.

Additionally, as a lake bed is drying out, strong winds can throw up small particles that can be inhaled and harm the lungs or aggravate other respiratory conditions.

Asthma, heart disease, and chronic bronchitis are just a few of the health issues that these pollutants have been connected to.

Despite not being a water reservoir like the rapidly depleting Lake Mead and Lake Powell, Vernon said the Great Salt Lake is still an important natural resource and a solid cause for people to save more water, especially considering how much Utah's population has increased over the past ten years.

Related article: Ecosystem at Great Salt Lake on the Brink of Collapse Due to Dangerously Low Water Levels