Great Salt Lake hits historic low, potentially releasing arsenic-laced dust into air breathed by millions

by Joseph Guzman | July 27, 2021 | Jul. 27, 2021

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Average daily water levels fell by about an inch below the previous record of 4,191.4 feet above sea level, which was set in 1963.
Officials said streamflow levels in Utah are also being affected by the extreme drought.
The exposed lakebed also poses the risk of releasing arsenic-laced dust into the air that millions of residents breathe.

Waters levels in the southern part of the Great Salt Lake of Utah have hit a historic low as the Western United States is in the throes of a major drought.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported Saturday that average daily water levels fell by about an inch below the previous record of 4,191.4 feet above sea level, which was set in 1963. The agency has kept a record of the largest saltwater lake in the western hemisphere since 1847.

Officials said streamflow levels in Utah are also being affected by the extreme drought, with 63 percent of measured streams flowing below normal.

Nearly the entire state of Utah is currently experiencing “extreme” or “exceptional” drought conditions, the two-highest designations reported by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Officials said they expect the water level to continue to decline.

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“Based on current trends and historical data, the USGS anticipates water levels may decline an additional foot over the next several months,” Ryan Rowland, USGS Utah Water Science Center data chief, said in a statement.

People have depended on the lake to deliver water for crops and homes, an activity that underlies that lake’s current water shortage. The lake is shallow, reaching a maximum depth of about 35 feet, meaning less water can quickly result in a drop in water level.

As water levels fall, the exposed lakebed could release arsenic-laced dust into the air that millions of residents breathe.

Across the western U.S., a dryer-than-normal winter has contributed to a drought that is now surpassing its second decade, resulting in historically low water levels from Lake Mead to the Klamath River Basin along the Oregon-California border.