Conservationists in Utah are suing the state over the alleged failure to protect the Great Salt Lake, which has continued to shrink and is on the brink of ecological collapse.
The situation results from officials allowing upstream water to be diverted to farmers growing alfalfa, hay, and other crops for several decades. The lawsuit was filed by a coalition of environmental groups on Wednesday.
Utah's Great Salt Lake
The conservationists are asking a court to step in and force the state of Utah to let more water reach the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi River. It is considered an oasis for millions of migratory birds, an engine for the state's billion-dollar mineral industry, and a popular tourist attraction.
The lawsuit argues that a diminished Great Salt Lake has risks that are not merely focused on beached sailboats and wider shores. It argues that they also include the extinction of various species and the spread of toxic dust clouds over nearby communities, as per Politico.
The first time Great Salt Lake hit a record low was in the summer of 2021, which renewed attention from Utah's Republican-led Legislature. However, lawmakers' actions have not been sufficient to address the concerns of a coalition that includes Earthjustice, the Utah Rivers Council, and the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, among others.
In a statement, the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment's Brian Moench said they are simply trying to prevent a disaster by forcing the state government to take serious action to address the issue.
A spokesperson for Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, Emma Williams, declined to comment regarding the situation, citing ongoing litigation. The head of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Joel Ferry, said that he could not comment on the case but that the state "has been actively working with many interested parties on the lake to fix the problem.
Addressing the Shrinking of the Lake
The coalition of conservationists is demanding the state find ways to get the Great Salt Lake back to 4,198 feet elevation, which is almost six feet higher than the lake's current levels. The executive director of the Utah Rivers Council, Zach Frankel, said that Utah has taken "baby steps" that were inadequate to sustain the American West's largest wetland ecosystem, according to KSL.
Frankel added that the state must stop ignoring the upstream water diversions damaging the lake and pushing its wildlife population into oblivion. The lawsuit contends that Utah's agencies are not following the state's public trust doctrine.
It comes roughly nine months after almost three dozen scientists and conservationists raised concerns that the Great Salt Lake is facing "unprecedented danger." They argued that unless the state's lawmakers fast-track emergency measures to increase the lake's inflow by 2024 dramatically, it will disappear in the next five years.
A senior attorney for Earthjustice, Stu Gillespie, said that an epic winter in 2022 helped boost the water levels in April. They argued that this likely extended the five-year timeline by roughly another year, said CNN.
