Great Salt Lake

Understanding the Problem

Due to climate change and increased water consumption, Great Salt Lake is shrinking. 2022 saw Great Salt Lake hit a record low elevation of 4,188.5 ft. Though only 11 ft below Great Salt Lake’s average elevation, this loss shrunk the lake’s surface area from 1,700 square miles to approximately 800. This desiccation puts the state of Utah and its citizens at risk.

Our team has spent two years researching the different factors contributing to Great Salt Lake’s decline, stakeholders involved in solving the problem, and solutions that could help save it. We have written a high-level summary of our understanding of these factors and the gaps where current efforts could be expanded. This paper is published and accessible through this page.

Reading the reports published by the Ballard Center's Great Salt Lake Lab will provide a deep understanding of the problem and the current solutions in place to solve it, however we also encourage readers to use this as a starting point and discover more about Great Salt Lake on their own.