Water levels in the southern part of Utah’s Great Salt Lake have dropped to their lowest levels ever recorded, and experts say conditions at the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere will decline further as extreme drought chokes nearly the entire state.
The U.S. Geological Survey announced Saturday that average daily water levels dropped by about an inch below the previous record of 4,191.4 feet above sea level, which was recorded in 1963. The agency’s records of Great Salt Lake’s elevations date to 1847.
Great Salt Lake’s water levels have gradually been receding, but the recent declines have been aggravated by the megadrought gripping the Western U.S.
According to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday, more than 99% of Utah is under “extreme” drought conditions. Almost 70% of the state is experiencing “exceptional” drought, the highest category.
“It’s already concerning that Great Salt Lake has been on a slow decline, but the drought has accelerated that decline,” said Candice Hasenyager, deputy director of the Utah Division of Water Resources. “It’s really alarming.”
There are still months to go in the lake’s typical dry season, which generally stretches from June through the fall. It’s likely that water levels will continue to drop, said Ryan Rowland, data chief at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Utah Water Science Center.
“We think we could drop another foot to a foot and a half,” Rowland said.
Human activity has been one of the biggest contributors to the lake’s receding water levels, with increased water consumption for farming, mineral extraction and support for the municipal and industrial sectors all playing roles, Hasenyager said.
Great Salt Lake’s water levels have varied throughout history, but climate change is changing how much overall water flows into it. Higher temperatures as a result of global warming are reducing the volume of snowpack and altering precipitation patterns.
