Scientists want action to preserve the Great Salt Lake ecosystem

House Concurrent Resolution 10, calling for more information on the ecological and economic impacts of Bear River development on the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, was met with skepticism from some scientists who believe Utah lawmakers are ignoring the research that already exists — and that the real need isn't more research but action. 

Passed on Feb. 15, the resolution is designed to address the dire state of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, outlining the ecological and economic benefits of the lake and calling for more informed policy and management suggestions. The benefits include the impact of lake effect snow on snowpack accumulation, the preservation of wetland habitat for wildlife, the estimated $1.3 billion annual contribution to Utah’s economy and more.

The detailed account of the Great Salt Lake’s ecosystem services paints a picture of a legislature looking to preserve and protect the lake and its habitat. However, the resolution’s call for more research and policy suggestions regarding the ecosystem make it easy to forget that Bear River development is still on the table for Utah lawmakers.

The resolution recognizes the importance of adequate flow to the Great Salt Lake and calls attention to declining water levels, “while appropriately balancing economic, social, and environmental needs,” a balance that has been difficult to put into practice.

Sarah Null, a faculty member in the Department of Watershed Sciences at Utah State University, co-authored a study modeling the projected change of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem in response to Bear River development. Null’s research has shown the decreased flow as a result of the Bear River development project would lower the lake level by less than a foot.  

While this seems negligible for the size of the lake, the depth change would result in large areas of exposed playa due to the extremely shallow basin that holds the Great Salt Lake. These previously submerged playas pose unique threats to Salt Lake City.

“Our concern with the lake is that it’s a terminal basin. It receives just about everything that is put into it,” said Janice Brahney, a faculty member in the Department of Watershed Sciences at USU.  

Brahney is concerned about the human-health impact of submerged dust particles that could become airborne if the lake level continues to recede. Agricultural pesticides, toxic compounds from harmful algal blooms and toxic heavy metals are all trapped in the sediment beneath the lake.

The resolution calls for more reports about the declining water level of the Great Salt Lake and the potential impact on human health the environment, but Null said there’s already plenty of information available.

“There will always be some uncertainty and we shouldn’t use that as a tool to not do anything,” Null said. “Managing water for people is of course important, but if we ignore the Great Salt Lake and the benefits it provides to people, we should be prepared to pay a lot of money.”