Editor’s note: This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake.
FARMINGTON — The Great Salt Lake is once again in peril as its levels slide closer to its all-time low set three years ago, but a new joint public-private mission seeks to save the lake ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympics and beyond.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced the formation of GSL 2034, a new public-private charter that calls on all Utahns — residents, farmers, business leaders, researchers and elected leaders to “stand shoulder-to-shoulder” in a commitment to take steps to help the lake. It also comes with a $200 million donation pledge, half of which has already been committed by the organization Ducks Unlimited over the next decade, while local business leaders plan to raise the other half.
The money raised will go toward multiple solutions that protect the lake.
“We will not let the Great Salt Lake fail,” Cox said, standing at a podium overlooking a drying Farmington Bay Wednesday afternoon, while surrounded by state and congressional leaders, as well as prominent figures in Utah’s business community. “It’s part of the soul of Utah. It’s who we are. It’s what we’re known for across the world and across time.”
Wednesday’s announcement followed a meeting between state and federal officials, as well as several prominent business leaders. The group met as the lake continues to drop closer to its all-time low amid hot and dry conditions since springtime.
The lake’s southern arm has fallen to 4,191.1 feet elevation, a tick above its northern arm. Both arms are approximately 2½ feet below the lake’s record low set in 2022, and 7 feet below what the state considers its minimum healthy level.
Its decline dropped the lake back into the “serious adverse effects” range outlined in the state’s management plan. Researchers say potential impacts on mineral production, recreation and air quality emerge after the Great Salt Lake slips below 4,192 feet elevation, as water becomes more scarce and its exposed lakebed pushes dust toward communities during wind events.
