Great Salt Lake dry-up causing dangerous climate ripple effect, ecologists say l ABCNL

ABC News’ Kayna Whitworth reports on Utah’s Great Salt Lake drying up and slowly shrinking, causing concern for wildlife, the people of Salt Lake City and the air quality.
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[@bcfortenberry]

Scientists have been warning about this since I was a child and I have grey hair coming in. Unfortunately, sometime in the early 80s, we went from a country that could surmount any challenge, to a helpless country that could only address issues if the solutions were profitable enough to a small group of the wealthy. We get what we deserve.

[@nickl5658]

It was the time when the saying "Greed is Good" and "the only responsibility a company has is to its share holders." became the mantra. Also the US decoupling from gold in the mid 1970s didn't help.

[@peterbelanger4094]

"scientists" are not as brilliant or honorable as people think. Stop putting them on pedestals.

[@kahlilh1]

Imagine if America voted for the Nobel Peace Prize winner who warned us this would happen over a decade ago instead of war hungry Bush. One can only dream.

[@badbishop1049]

There was a reason that the 80's was called the "me" decade. People quit caring about their neighbors as much and just began to get absorbed into themselves. Its just gotten worse and worse over the years with the advent of more personal technology and social media platforms.

[@robincrowflies]

Unfortunately a lot of innocents are getting what they absolutely do not deserve.

[@SuperMassman]

everyone wants this solved, but no one wants to actually do anything. They want the other person to sacrifice.

[@Nope991]

Luckily I am a cat

[@MadStyle1911]

Literally watch a news program of some lady angry of having to turn off her water more often used for watering her grass..

[@austinpowers1999]

Wherever you find yourself that is where you are.

[@olmis6289]

Lol it's wayyyyy too late to fix this situation. We can try reducing the water content, but the weather is the reason for this situation.

[@skylark1250]

Too many people on the planet. When a species out populates its resources a massive die off will occur. That’s true of all species as populations become too big. The sad part is we have done this to the planet and other species as well. And if we can’t stop using fossil fuels we are doomed. Critical times ahead. Conserve water. No green grass lawns in deserts. Drive less. Fly less. Give up beef. Plant trees. Use drip irrigation. Famine, drought, climate migrations, and massive species loss ahead. Some predict within 100 years. Extinction of humans? Inevitable if we do not stop the climate change humans have caused.

[@UrbanAllegory]

we've known for half a century this was coming... and we did nothing.

[@RagtimeAnnie]

Not exactly - We made a deliberate decision to ignore the predictions of the scientific community, and cynically gambled the health of America's future generations ... and did nothing

[@jdlawncare5582]

Lets help lets change now

[@dana8567]

Gov does nothing to make a difference. They tax us using it as an excuse but still mismanage everything. If they were concerned they would have done something a long time ago. What could they possibly do that they could have done in the past 20 years.

[@dankelly5150]

@@jdlawncare5582 I think pumping in ocean water or Mississippi River water to help refill The Great Salt Lake, as well as Lake Mead is a damn good idea, though costly in the extreme and will take much time to build !!

[@your247support]

What can you do? Any suggestions?

[@jamesstein6727]

I agree with so many of the comments. I am 55 and direct sunlight seems so much stronger and more intense than when I was a kid. A few years ago I got a sunburn sitting in a garage 2-3 feet away from the sun. I was stunned.

[@alexhess1163]

I thought I was nuts. But I feel the same. Direct sunlight feels more intense to me now than it did just 5 years ago. I'm only 28.

[@mamat1213]

I’m literally screen shotting these comments to show my family, I can’t believe other people experience this as well 😳

[@vegahunter8]

Stop eating highly processed seed and vegetable oils

[@sedg03]

Im super sensitive to the sun also. Mormons made a lot of money off of their state and now its unlivable, but? Theyre putting a prison in on the lake bed - that is flat assed cruel and unusual punishment. You either operate off of a moral pivoting point? Or you are a monster.... I guess the SLC Mormons are monsters. As Mormons sowed? So shall the Mormons reap... It's no wonder their "promised land" vomited them all out. P..s. they're moving a massive amt of Mormons to NE Colorado.. its their divine right to take over and subjugate the non.mormons in states surrounding Colorado... :( (Translation? They're going to destroy NE Colorado same as they destroyed Utah - what a legacy to trail behind mormons) ..

[@russellkeeling4387]

I believe this can be explained by the orbit of the earth around the sun. It is not a round circle but more the shape of an egg.

[@lewisjulian0830]

The state never prepared for this. They believed that they could over use the environment and profit from it. Now millions are at risk.

[@Zombiesteve03]

Same reason California is also facing danger. Meanwhile Nevada has increased their population while lowering their water consumption.

[@nickl5658]

Logical outcome from capitalism. It is very good in the short term and terrible on the long term. Paying for the mistakes made nearly 80 year ago.

[@bicknell67]

Utah politicians don't believe in climate change.

[@garybrunecz7785]

So what. the government is all too happy to see the explosive out of control population get cleansed immensely. If over 5 billion of us die then maybe the one's left standing can fight over what is left and live to talk about it a couple more centuries until the same scenario comes to light and repeats itself. We are just a number and the rich and ruling elite have lavish underground cities to retire in while we all starve, die and get broiled alive. Only a small percentage of this planet can sustain life and as we breed like flies and consume all usable and critical resources we have no choice but to spread out and use our armies to slaughter millions in order to have a new place to call home and expand our empire.. They did it to the Indians and many ethnic tribes through out history. Now its our turn to suffer our evil, sinful, demonic ways. War, famine, drought, plagues and super storms will make our lives a living hell. So keep breeding like flies and we will see home many more homeless and starving people have to look forward to death on this hell hole. So all you fools keep staring at your phones and chasing the worthless dollar. This warmonger nation lived by the sword oh so long, soon we will die by the sword and reap what we have sewn. Welcome to this dog eat dog world where the super rich control the strong to impose their will on the dumbed down sheeple.

[@Saxxin1]

@@nickl5658 Chinese bot

[@MavFan2008]

I went back to my home town in Mexico last week and the mountain river where my fondest memories were made is completely dry. Shocked and saddened. We can't fix nature but man can we f it up!!

[@boogitybear2283]

It’s called breeding. Most poor countries breed like Rats.

[@seanarmstrong7767]

Isnt that the saddest truth MavFan?? There are people who care but they are stuck with an almost unsolvable question...Do we try to fix everything we have broken or do we constantly try not to break anything anymore???

[@nativeitzutakua-9863]

We can fix nature if we overthrow our corporate overlords and their politician running dogs.

[@felipecervantes7881]

Who is we? You mean multinational corporations blaming us? Relax.

[@dietrevich]

@@felipecervantes7881 corporations wouldn't exist if people wouldn't buy their products. So yeah, ultimately WE are the culprit.

[@juliaelrod2154]

The Eel river in Humboldt County (classified as a rainforest and home of the giant redwoods) stopped running for a week last summer. First time in recorded history. It's going to be even dryer next year. 😥

[@Winter.aka.Winnie]

I live in Maine and all of our lakes are extremely low. I've never seen anything like it. Not in my lifetime

[@ThatGuyInVegas]

This goes way beyond Salt Lake; Lake Powell and Lake Mead are also at record lows; this is a systemic drought issue impacting the entire west from Canada all the way down to Mexico. (BEAR IN MIND the Salt Lake is NOT a water source for the city, they get their water from mountain streams, and it's drying up regardless)

[@WeylandLabs]

This is called human greed * The Roman's suffered from this and the Egyptians, we are not evolving and deserve what come to us.

[@kelj4517]

Who cares I live in Georgia. We have plenty of ground water and we never have a water shortage.

[@TheMonkdad]

@@kelj4517 I live in Michigan and worry for those people and about how this will eventually impact everyone. We are getting warnings from nature and we are ignoring them.

[@carlospenalver8721]

Selfishness of the mega rich global elites and just as bad the selfishness of the poor who think like global elites, their solutions like we need to keep our homes cooler in summer and warmer in winter. People are just asking for things to get worse. I’m pretty sure the globalist already taken into account it’s not going to work, can’t have people sitting at home out of the extremes paying for the things everyone considered a solution. I’m glad I never had kids. Not really my future I have to worry about.

[@tstocker6926]

A drought in the desert , go figure

[@DM-ed9os]

Building restrictions on landscaping desperately need to be put in place. There is no reason why every .25 acre lot should be covered in grass. No reason why commercial properties should be landscaped in grass. Require solar panels to ease the demand on water for electricity, get rid of the “use it or lose it” rule for ranchers and farmers. The reality is that most agricultural water users in Utah know how to conserve. They don’t necessarily NEED all the water they own, but the state will take their water rights back if they don’t prove “beneficial use” which then causes them to purposely waste water just so that they don’t lose their right. It’s a bassakward way of “managing” water, and our illustrious lawmakers don’t seem to give two hoots as long as they are getting money from special interests and PACs.

[@justsomecarguy]

The solution for all this was already engineered at great cost and was pushed hard by Utah Senator Ted Moss back in the 1960's, it's called NAWAPA and it would have turned the great basin into usable farmland and the southwest US into an oasis, too bad it wasn't built, there are documentaries here on KZbin about it.

[@dorasmuris]

@@justsomecarguy Solving one ecological disaster by creating another

[@lukeGGlee]

@@oHaiKuu great salt lake is salt water farm animals ain’t gonna drink that

[@rcisneros8567]

Sadly most people can't be bothered. Once we all see that, then we can make real changes that will have to come in the form of laws.

[@intreoo]

It's as if the entire American West made it illegal to live a low-impact lifestyle. From having to drive everywhere, to mandatory lawn regulations, to farming laws; all of it.

[@Isaacmantx]

The Great Salt Lake has been shrinking for about 14,000 years. It is a remnant of Lake Bonneville that once covered 20,000 square miles across the west.... less than 5% of it's original size. The rest of Bonneville dried up, and the great salt lake eventually will to.

[@jamesferrin5415]

10 months later: The Great Salt Lake has had an all time record growth, 5.3' in elevation and still growing. 0% drought in the Great Salt Lake water basin.

[@BeeeHonest]

So very sad and scary... Yet there is a particular party that still thinks climate change is a hoax!

[@lockelamora0717]

Worse yet, that it's good. MTG

[@irgelreal]

Gods judgement dude. The Bible says everything that’s coming next and it’s happening.

[@satanicmicrochipv5656]

@@irgelreal Pffft!!!

[@ccggenius]

@@lockelamora0717 "It's an egghead government plot! They're tryin' to control global warming, get it? GLOBAL. That's code for UN commissars telling Americans how hot it's gonna be in OUR outdoors. I say LET the world warm up, see what Boutros Boutros-Ghali Ghali thinks about that... We'll grow oranges in Alaska."

[@coolcat6303]

@@irgelreal The Bible says alot of things and ppl always use it as reason not to change. God (Mother Nature) gave us free will though & we have the ability to prevent Climate Change. We just need better leaders who actually take it seriously.

[@RuleofFive]

The same drop in air quality and an explosion of respiratory illness happened when the Aral Sea dried out due to massive irrigation of the desert around it for cotton production. All the toxic dust at the bottom of the sea bed blew around the region. Summers got hotter, winters got colder without the mitigating effects of a large body of water.

[@manihategoogle7350]

Water lack thereof was the problem.Even water is toxic when it's in your lungs. Please stop throwing around "toxic" without context.

[@RuleofFive]

@@manihategoogle7350 The runoff from nearby agricultural fields has polluted the remaining parts of the Aral Sea with pesticides and fertilizers, which have crystallized with the salt. Inhalation of the salt can cause severe throat and lung problems. The salt also can poison farmers' produce and cause chemical damage to buildings. I don't 'throw around" terms. I take the health reports from the respective governments and the UN. Troll harder.

[@libturdcrusher1776]

Can't forget dope farming way up stream too and the thousands of home grown dope farm operations. Where I used to live the town allowed for a massive dope farm to go up that pretty much dried up all of the well water in the area and was forced to shut down and move elsewhere.

[@manihategoogle7350]

@@RuleofFive it's not the salt, it's the pesticide and artificial fertilizer. Look in the mirror before calling people trolls

[@RuleofFive]

@@manihategoogle7350 Are you an imbecile? Who cares about the salt? I was talking about the toxic pollution at the bottom of the Aral Sea and the Salt Lake. You are a troll.

[@NexuJin]

Even in Europe with all their rivers, this summer is has been displaying extreme worrying signs of drought. While more in-land are facing drought problems, area's at seashores are seeing rising problem of water levels.

[@themallard1515]

Only a matter of time, we just continue to ignore the signs and symptoms again and again, year after year. We keep living our high consumerism lifestyles and forget about the idea that we are all dependent on natural resources. It’s only a matter of time until the freshwater supply slowly dwindles to the point that it starts wars and other conflicts. We should’ve learned 50 years ago but we never did.

[@tweedyburd007]

I feel bad for future generations. We have truly made mistakes that cannot be forgotten.

[@marklambert9976]

This is the cycle of the earth. Climate change is nothing new. Sure we may have sped it up this time but it was going to happen regardless of human intervention and will happen time and time again as it has before.

[@WW-sw8ls]

we are the last generation.. read the bible… one generation after Israel getting their land back.. One generation in bible is 70 to 80 yrs…..

[@rickricky5626]

there will be no future generations.....we will see the end.....maybe 10 or 20 yrs....its over

[@david_lawrence_h2703]

And future generations will still be making those same mistakes

[@lukewilliams9428]

Stop driving!

[@dustin628]

I'm a phoenix native. The climate here has changed so much since I was a kid. What are we gonna do out here in the west? So many people have moved here to the desert, just like so many have moved to Utah. It's insanity. Are we gonna pump ocean water to Phoenix as well straight to desalination plants that are inland? Or connect the Mississippi to the Colorado? Things are gonna get real bad this decade.

[@lewisjulian0830]

But Dustin that won't work either. Let me ask you a question. What do they do with the run off from the desalination plants? Let me tell you millions apon millions of gallons of hypertonic waste is just dumped back into the ocean raising the salt levels which slowly destroys the coral reefs, fish larve the ocean changing the P H level.

[@hippiebits2071]

What I find most frustrating regarding the Colorado River watershed is that they have had 30+ years to be working out a emergency backup plan and yet it seems NOTHING was ever accomplished In addition to that, short term management has been abysmal. Smh...considering the point we are at now I have very little faith anyone is taking this anywhere near as seriously as they should.

[@RuggedRunnerOverland]

Well as you astutely pointed out, so many people have moved to the southwest...a harsh desert region that was never suited to sustainably support such a population boom. Looking at Census data over the last 40 years it's staggering to see the out of control unsustainable growth in cities like Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, Salt Lake City... As far as I'm concerned, local and state political and business leaders made their bed, now they must lay in it. To suggest siphoning water from other parts of the country will only make the situation even more dire effecting a greater number of people.

[@teresapribilski1493]

@@RuggedRunnerOverland You're correct. Taking it from the Mississippi is ludicrous. The Mississippi is having it's own issues. My neighbor is a tug boat captain. A few years ago, the Mississippi had receded to where they were having to navigate around emerging sandbars. They also mentioned the Red River, I guess traveling between Arkansas and Texas. That water is nothing but silt and clay. They'd be cleaning those lines constantly

[@MrOarson]

@@lewisjulian0830 The main problem with desalination is that it can't make up the shortfall. We are not supposed to live in deserts with the kinds of numbers we're aiming for. Used to be that overloading the desert ended up capping the population through death by thirst. People way back then had the sense to live where the water was. If the water cycle can't keep the place hydrated, with 12,900 cubic *kilometers* of water available at any given time, we have no hope of doing that.

[@kenneycooper6199]

I used to drive across I-80 across the salt flats years ago and I took pictures of the lake. Looking at this, all I can say is wow.

[@gaymichaelis7581]

Very good and informative story!! I live in the Salt Lake area in Bountiful, and of course I am aware of this, but I learned quite a bit from your news story!! Thank you very much!

[@guitsynthcw]

Drove past it a few days ago. It was shocking.

[@jamesnguyen7069]

no water. no life. no girlfriend... no money

[@jaystackz3425]

@@jamesnguyen7069 no food . no animals . no plants .. no people . no planet .

[@robertgough161]

@@jamesnguyen7069 jee no money does sounds bad for the stock market

[@ronnelacido1711]

It's not that bad. Think of all the real estate coming out of the dried lake bed. They could build houses there for the homeless.

[@TheDoomWizard]

Welcome to your future

[@samanthafordyce5795]

I drove past there in 1995 and the lake had grown so large it was threatening the Interstate. This retreat is truly a hard thing to see.

[@lafrancois6323]

Wow that's crazy.

[@RobertMJohnson]

it's called nature's cycles.

[@DG-kq8zf]

They messed up when they decided to pump the lake instead of moving I-80

[@Gilligan76]

The Olympics was our downfall. Million dollar mansions litter the mountains that used to be cover with trees shrubs and winter range for deer and elk that slowly released water down to the valley floor. The population of the state has increased by 1.5 million since 2000. Much of the water is used before ever hitting the Great Salt Lake. The temps are the same as they where 20 years ago.

[@pern1121ep]

The desert isn't for living and growing. Every other population on earth understands that but Westerners. This is from 200 years of wealthy people diverting natural resources for their pools and lawns and commercial endeavors. Arizona is feeling it, too.

[@anonanon5501]

Philippines is so blessed that nothing like this is happening still rich in natural resources and the beauty of nature is intact though frequently visited by storms.

[@thomasesthomas1996]

High water use agriculture needs to be banned in Utah.

[@jimscott1246]

Still waiting to hear from Mr. Lee. Does he still believe climate change is nothing we have to worry yet. Two years ago he said, with a straight face, the crisis should be left to future generations, nothing we need to address with any urgency. Utah must be brimming with pride over this elected dunce.

[@nickl5658]

Leave the problem to future Americans. 2 years later, future Americans are now present Americans. So solve the problem. Don't have 2 years anymore.

[@thomshin2460]

Quit voting Republicans, God people wake the hell up, it is not the party it once was its all about the CEO's and trump GOD

[@okzoomer5728]

He's a corrupt seditionist who's only holding that position for power. Utahns both democrat and moderate conservative came together recently to try to primary the rat out, but sadly he's still got a bigger base of people who love the evil he delivers.

[@eckankar7756]

The cracked lake is a physical manifestation of the hate that freakish religion has against any diverse group. This is perfect the way they will now breathe arsenic like the poison of hate they've spit on everyone but their own.

[@hazardjsimpson]

LOL, Mike Lee is a useless POS that doesn't care. He's too busy building a railroad thru national forests to pump more oil into SLC.

[@testedtech]

I mean, scientists have metaphorically been screaming that this would happen for LITERAL DECADES. And what did we do? Nearly nothing...really. Profits first...

[@ladyeowyn42]

The GOP made up conspiracy theories about scientists and Utah voters went along with it. I feel bad for the birds, at least.

[@wm3293]

Definitely no water shortage in Lake Erie we been well above average water levels for 4 years now just went to Niagara Falls and Lake Ontario no lack of water in the Great Lakes

[@tammy9887]

To bring in ocean water they would need to filter out many invasive species before adding it to the lake, not doing so could create the same problem regarding migration of the birds.

[@IamCaleum]

It is hard to feel bad for them when you look at who they repeatedly keep putting into office in the state. Those same people have voted against helping the people of Utah over and over and over again, but keep getting voted in anyways.

[@coolcat6303]

Yep. Real change has to come from the top and we can’t afford to keep electing in Neanderthals who don’t believe in Science.

[@barbeedoll122]

👍

[@williams_57]

@Littlechowmow Mowmow you can't even spell

[@thomshin2460]

Yeah, vote Republican some more I am sure they care about you, let's see have you ever tried the other party

[@johanvangelderen6715]

@@thomshin2460 Have you?

[@kristannestone1748]

My great grandmother used to say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. She was a sensible person. Whether it's about preventing these natural disasters, or dealing with covid, educating kids or allowing women the choice to bring a pregnancy to full term, you should ALWAYS look down the road, and avoid the bigger mess that will unfold if at all possible. The alternatives are so costly.

[@dethray1000]

in the 1930ties the midwest was in a massive drought for 10 years--40 millions acres of farmland was lost--the dustbowl--our farm in Mn was covered in sand,dust--shett happens--read about it--cheers for all you drama kings,queens--i was one of the few to ever water ski the great salt lake!! in the 80ties when full--big ass spiders,shett load of flys,massive stink at the marinas,hell on earth!!!!

[@thathobbitlife]

Ignore the spammers 🥱

[@Ellwood76]

@@dethray1000 most of that was caused by poor farming techniques you idiot

[@milanimorales2645]

So true! Especially on vehicles.

[@privacylock855]

How do we prevent a 20 year drought?

[@JeffreyGoddin]

Just discovering drip tape, seriously?!? Yes, it's expensive to maintain, but I've used it in Florida and New Mexico and Hawaii going back 20 years. Reminds me, first time I traveled across California's Central Valley, just how shocked I was to see flood irrigation employed so broadly, in a state that has regular water crises. Sad but true fact about flood irrigation, when you release that much water to irrigate, so much of it evaporates that it leaves a salty buildup, which then has to be flushed with so much water that it runs off the land and into the rivers (below dams, and so, into the ocean, lost.) When living in California and asked to conserve water I always thought of this. For the sake of cheap food/agriculture, we waste our most valuable resource, something like 60%+ of all water going to that single sector, and another like 25% to other industries, and only like 10-15% to residential use, but somehow it's how long our showers are that's the problem. What a sad joke.

[@kennethcummings2527]

I guess no one remembers the Great Dust Bowl/The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s; severe drought and a failure to apply dryland farming methods to prevent the aeolian processes (wind erosion) caused the phenomenon. The drought came in three waves: 1934, 1936, and 1939-1940, but some regions of the High Plains experienced ...

[@bartek1980ful]

Wait....I thought the Gov of Utah encouraged everyone to pray with him to end the drought. Amazing that it didnt work.

[@mikehill5261]

It worked about as well as the "thoughts and prayers " work with gun violence.

[@robertgough161]

lol i forgot about that thanks for reminding

[@dakrawnik4208]

you retain useless facts often?

[@Thunder_Dome45]

Maybe it takes human sacrificing. Maybe they didn't pray enough.

[@ChicagoLights]

Just cause you pray for something doesn’t mean it’ll always come true. Things happen.

[@dustinpixey3768]

I've lived here all my life and all I gotta say is... It's too late.

[@alntr2872]

Yep

[@dethray1000]

in the 1930ties the midwest was in a massive drought for 10 years--40 millions acres of farmland was lost--the dustbowl--our farm in Mn was covered in sand,dust--shett happens--read about it--cheers for all you drama kings,queens--i was one of the few to ever water ski the great salt lake!! in the 80ties when full--big ass spiders,shett load of flys,massive stink at the marinas,hell on earth!!!!

[@williams_57]

@@dethray1000 you are quite the loser- bigly

[@automnejoy5308]

It's pretty funny that all of these national news outlets are talking about this all the sudden. This has been an issue for decades. You're right. It's waaay too late.

[@racksoffpacks2558]

@@dethray1000 you 100% are what’s wrong with society 😂 you’re literally calling those showing you the cruel facts behind climate change “drama queens” 😂

[@jamestropicals8262]

I just passed by the great salt lake today and it’s not nearly as shallow as I thought it would be, I think it’s very slowly refilling up because all of utahs lake refill up during the winter because of all of the heavy snow fall during the winter

[@oscarinacan]

"I drove by one part of a 75×35 mile lake and didn't see any problems. I was at ground level so got a real good view of everything. Now I'm going to make a generalization without very little understanding of how things work."

[@22espec]

Because of the season, there is water flowing but not nearly enogh to fill it to past levels and the next dry season would take more of the lake ntil eventually it dries completely in the dry season and you only get to see a puddle in the rain season.

[@MD-gk4uh]

So if we pump ocean water into the lake, even the its 5x less saltier, would that not add to the lake's "salt content". As the water evaporates the salt is left behind, and the salt amount grows with each Gal. added to it, making its % ever bigger. That in turn will be the same for the life in it as if the lake were to shrink causing the % to spike. Unless they do desalination of water before dropping it I really don't see this as viable option.

[@sample.text.]

It's almost like there's been a warning about this for over half a century now. And the media is like "Whoa! look at this crazy new thing that we definitely didn't know about"

[@jdubvdub]

People were making too much money developing the west so they didn’t want that information getting out.

[@sirdiealot53]

Huh? The media has been blaring about this for decades. An inconvenient truth came out 15 years ago

[@crashman2062]

You are blaming the media? Not Republicans and billionaires? Really. It is the mainstream media that has been warning us for the last 60 years about climate change and the dangers of pollution. In blue states those warnings were heeded and measures taken to slow or end pollution and conserve water. In red states the leaders refused to stop industrial pollution because of costs and even to deny that climate change was even real. Because of their inaction and your continued support, you are now reaping the disasters that past greed and climate change denial and inaction have sown. And it's too late to do anything to slow it down. So go hug your guns and your camo and get ready to play the survival game that you have been hoping and prepping for.

[@hpqzhpqz9688]

Exactly !!! I am 70 and have been involved in advocating for change in management policies and investment for adaptation since the 1970s. A little puke making having to listen to all the woe is me crap doing the rounds now. Along with everything else, we're screwed ! Hey ! Maybe we should have another war. We have trillions set aside for that !

[@TATERNUTS1]

I think they are just telling people the truth about this 30 foot lake drying up if people keep using the amount of water they are using. It's a shallow lake and won't be around long unless people dramaticly change water usage. That's all

[@CortexNewsService]

We've seen what happens when a lake like this dries up. The Aral Sea was another terminal lake, about twice the size. It's gone now. And everything scientists say could happen at Great Salt Lake has already happened there. Ecosystem has collapsed, more severe drought and toxic dust causing asthma and cancer to the people living there.

[@DRKrust492]

The toxic dust is because of Soviet bio weapon labs on islands in the sea. We didn't have that.

[@CortexNewsService]

@@DRKrust492 there is also arsenic, which we do have and for much the same reason

[@DonDon-ib7kb]

Wow..

[@billmartin1663]

Terminal lakes always go dry. Sediments make them shallower and their shallowness accelerates evaporation. It is the way of the planet. Dead Sea. Lake Disappointment. Others too numerous to name. Does nobody in the climate industry study the history of the planet? Or is there not enough money in that?

[@katherinetrapp8564]

This area has been poisoned for decades they had to open a cancer Children’s hospice because the rate are so high in the state and SLC

[@letspartyallthetime]

It's real. I live in Detroit, Michigan and remember so much snow in the winter time, just feet upon feet (1990's). Sometimes it would get covered in a layer of ice. Idk how many ppl know but metro Detroit hasn't seen significant snowfall in years. My cousin came up from Florida a couple of winters ago at Christmas time to show the kids snow for the first time, maybe even make a snow man. And well we didn't have any...

[@waynejohnson1304]

This is only the tip of the iceberg. The largest aquifer in the country, in the center of the heartland, is almost dry. The aquifer in the San Fernando Valley in California is also almost dry. These two aquifers feed 90% of all Americans.

[@JeffRivera]

One thing not mentioned is that as the lake shrinks, so does the impact it has on snowfall. Lake effect snow is really important, and as the lake dries up, our snowstorms get smaller each year. That leads to lower snowpack and less runoff. If we can get the lake filled again, it will have a huge effect on snowpack and help curb the drought.

[@dekubravo1128]

Jeff is there an article or something to back up what u have said i would like to show people i know that think the great salt lake is a waste and should dry up

[@JeffRivera]

@@dekubravo1128 yep! There should be plenty, but here is a Wikipedia source: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Salt_Lake_effect#:~:text=The%20Great%20Salt%20Lake%20effect,to%20their%20significant%20precipitation%20amounts.

[@TamarWise]

Getting the lake filled back up is one thing, but keeping it filled is another. Can't stop climate change so it'll keep evaporating. Everything is connected and we are all f*cked ✌🏼

[@ILoveBluePeople]

@@dekubravo1128 every single massive body of water that's dried up all over the planet has caused massive dust storms...

[@Golf05]

@@ILoveBluePeople The mountains are famous for their fluffy snow, which the Great Lake contributes to. The ski industry would be hammered if that got affected in a negative way.

[@MF-ty2zn]

Carl Sagan warned of all this in his speech to Congress in 1985. And he discussed the solution to it. It's on KZbin.

[@danstrayer111]

John Wesley Powell warned about this 100 years before Sagan.....not to diminish Sagan in any way.

[@tracyday6710]

It doesn't fit the profit plan. We have a government beholding to corporate overlords bent on profit at any cost. Eisenhower warned us on his way out and here we are... ✌️

[@lucindalaree4666]

This happened to the Owens Valley California and Owens lake. LA sucks out all the water leaving a very large dry lake bed that is now responsible for small particle air pollution across the entire USA when the wind blows. The wind blows all the time!

[@spiritual_home_for_artists]

Cover everything with 12 inches of woodchips, and make it rain. The technology has already been figured out- they can… make it rain! Keep the dust in the moist ground. Woodchips will keep moisture

[@bodybalancer]

It really breaks my heart how the animals are suffering 😔💔

[@Latabrine]

Same😔

[@Angry.General1461]

@@Latabrine they should pump water into the lake from a river. Simple as that!

[@jayrowe6473]

@@Angry.General1461 Yeah, that would be simply brilliant!

[@biggtrux]

@@Angry.General1461 Are you REALLY this pathetically ignorant??? What river are you going to pump from bugwit? Jeez.

[@allisonstevens3545]

@@Angry.General1461 all the rivers in Northern Utah already empty in the Great Salt Lake- Bear, Weber, and Ogden. Provo River flows to Utah Lake which empties via Jordan River to the Great Salt Lake. The next closest river-Green River-joins the Colorado which is low.

[@Hellkite-er5pg]

No problem, the Utah GOP will fix the issue with more tax cuts for corporations.

[@ExposingTheOldWorldOrder]

And more thoughts and prayers.

[@rsenior7140]

and the CA dems are doing a bang up job here! Think about that when you pay even more for fruits and vegetables.

[@everythingisfine9988]

@@rsenior7140 paying more for vegetables or dying of thirst. Hmmm... 🤔

[@bruceradz]

That always works, remedies everything

[@AGalacticMerger]

@@rsenior7140 You really need to try and keep up…The dems are doing what they need to do in order to curb climate change. And the high price of fruits and vegetables leads us to the next issue we need to tackle in this country… Slavery-Era Manicured Lawns. Wastes a TON of water & the grass needs to be cut, which contributes further to greenhouse gas emissions. Once we all start utilizing our own land for growing food again, we won’t have to worry so much about the price of fruits & vegetables, water scarcity, & greenhouse gas emissions. It all goes hand-in-hand.

[@ariesomega5787]

This summer I visited several dried up and drying lakes in California. I’m sure they housed unique wildlife as well. I’ve watched Malibu Lagoon disappear. I feel Utahs pain but, join the club. When they gentleman at the end commented “everyone has to help”, I couldn’t help but shake my head. All of our houses are on fire.

[@beautybeyondthebeast9091]

Heartbreaking,should have listened to the people warning you like Dane Wigi ton.

[@krait9964]

If only there was some way that could have been avoided......

[@francismarion6400]

There wasn't.

[@james_giant_peach]

How could the people of SLC have avoided this?

[@kastelvetro1491]

haha wtf are u toking, global warming lmao

[@krait9964]

@@james_giant_peach They could have voted with the science instead of the GOP Nitwits who were against any climate action and infrastructure upgrades (BuT SoCiAlIZM is bad 'kay). It's typical conservative behavior that, only when it's too late and it's impacting them, that they suddenly get the gospel.

[@james_giant_peach]

@@krait9964 okay, I was just wondering but you're right that probably would have helped.

[@starfox8006]

Nothing in this world seems to be getting better, only worse

[@eckankar7756]

I wonder if the new climate will be more hospitable for aliens that are going to take over after we die off

[@philmabarak5421]

@@eckankar7756 Maybe we are the "aliens" that took over 100,000 years ago.

[@eckankar7756]

@@philmabarak5421 After so long we became the locals.

[@apdroidgeek1737]

Im beginning to think the judgement day is real

[@apdroidgeek1737]

@@eckankar7756 if we die off another animal will evolve and adapt just like it used to when the dinosaurs roam

[@harun9739]

Ocean water is better if we filter them. It can be used for anything

[@jordanmayne3366]

People who depend on this resource need to be prepared to manage and care for it. We should all let this teach us that water is limited, that it deserves mindfulness and respect. You can do more than the state and the rich can to conserve and create opportunities for your neighbors and for your families. This is America. You can do it, Utah!

[@thepinkyprincesspoetc.a.5767]

Having been born in Salt Lake City in 1960 and going up in 1981 and swimming in the great salt Lake well actually floating you really couldn’t swim because it was so salty you would just float which was so fun and the beaches and now to think that’s all drying up it’s just heartbreaking

[@jadams1722]

Get a pool… put some salt in it. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@repentorperish7630]

@@jadams1722 problem solved

[@bluelush4168]

@@jadams1722 I tried that once 2000 gallons of salt and highly expensive

[@AeltgenXIV]

This isn’t the only reason I moved from Salt Lake City but it’s a good one, my rent doubled my income didn’t. Crime and homelessness is a huge problem. Air quality and water were very poor. Oregon has its share of problems but there is water and life here.

[@macmoll]

Lies! There’s no water in Oregon! And live sucks here. Don’t move here. It’s not good. Lol

[@John-fg1xg]

@@macmoll wtf u talking about lmao. Only east Oregon is kinda dry. West Near Portland is the one of the wettest places in us

[@lightninblue819]

@@John-fg1xg Shhhhh... As an Oregonian, Oregon is awful and people should definitely stop moving here!

[@angelvelasquez8105]

No everyone plz move 2 city Oregon there's plenty of water there this idiots are just lying and bullshiting

[@el34glo59]

Rolls eyes

[@jonesnicholos]

so are we going to do something about it or not

[@youcanpoopatmyhouse2208]

Nope, God is in control. Be prepared

[@nzsaltflatsracer8054]

What is left of the Bear River after having the life sucked out of it flows into Bear River Bay & Willard Bay that is a recreational camping & boating fresh water State Park. Only after all that is satisfied is anything released into the Great Salt Lake. The only other feeders are the Weber & Jordan & both those are also a commodity.

[@jimsomerville3924]

I went to graduate school there in the mid 2000s. Several times a week around campus you would see the sides of the sidewalks flowing like small streams due to erroneous lawn sprinklers. They were so wasteful with water. And the inversions led to terrible air pollution. Driving on the higher elevation east side of I-215 the air over the valley would look like blue oil smoke. But people didn't want to change their habits.

[@dereksmith7082]

All the water on earth will always be on earth durrrr. It just moves. You understand your drinking water could be from Jesus’s pee himself.

[@TheHaughtyOsprey]

How about dumbasses stop complaining about water when living in a desert? This would be like me living on top of a mountain and complaining about thin air and snow.

[@thirdeyepyramidsmining6901]

You can't stop water shed off the Wasatch front though. Ironically Mormon stoled Native lands and moved the Natives into the desert with no water. Go figure.

[@bonniemoerdyk9809]

I see those automatic sprinklers running when it's RAINING !!! How wasteful ... and ridiculous !!

[@2muchim4u]

There is not enough education courses to teach the kids from a young age to respect the forest. Everyone should really understand that this is a source of life. Protecting the wild life and the forest is truly protecting life. We move into forest cut down lots of trees chase out all the animals and then for the most part let the forest die. Not enough animal activity, so all the berries die on the ground and the leave fall on the ground which causes to much ground cover. So the solution to it is maybe add more animals to the mix or pay companies to assist the process of collecting manure and spreading it to make the land more fertile. They did everything but put the animals back because the highways have priority.

[@roydunn2865]

The only thing funny about all this is preppers. They think they'll hunt and live off the fat of the land but will run out of their pre prepared meals in 6 months and have trouble getting water.

[@mikemannsongs5406]

and it was you, after 3 days of covid lockdown, crying about how you were going to shoot yourself from the mental effects of solitude...after only 3 days. real shame you didn't.

[@MrOarson]

They don't have to outlive the apocalypse. They only have to outlive enough people to have depopulation bring everything back into balance. Six months is probably sufficient.

[@peskycritter79]

No one with power is doing anything to help us, the public, change this horrifying future.

[@spacecase6825]

we need water trains , there are trax in the middle of the lake . trains will always be a thing and there’s plenty in utah with routes on the lakes shore . fill the tanks with pacific ocean water and drive it to the lake and unload . within a few years of that it will be fixed easy .

[@AfroMan187]

If y'all wanna start doing something about this, start conserving water drastically. No more golf courses, stop watering grass. Plant greenery that thrives in arid environments, trees everywhere else. Use public transportation and bike more, limit CO2 emisions. Do your own homeowork on the major energy sources used in America, IE Gas, coal, nuclear, and decide for yourself which is the biggest threat. the answer might surprise you. Politicians aren't going to save us, its up to the people. We should have gotten to work decades ago, but better late than never.

[@ToothlesstheNightFury510]

Eating less meat too

[@Jordannelson23]

Rico's Roughnecks!!!

[@AfroMan187]

@@Jordannelson23 service guarantees citizenship!

[@NuVids2025]

They say 2 new suns and it's Planetary system is entering ours and it's coming from Antarctica. Thus the reason it's off limits to everyone. Thus the reason the Pope and Russian Patriarch, first time in history, met there, saw it, and blessed the land or whatever... Thus all your tax dollars being sent to Ukraine and COVID but that's not the truth, they are building underground tunnels, bases and cities and only a select few thousands will chosen for survival and global reset. Everything is Allegedly though, until I see it with my own eyes. But that's the rumor going around if you got access to the Intel or whistleblowers... God speed! Now you know but most likely won't believe it, like most of the population. Knowledge is power and your circle of influence is as important as survival.

[@deciboo189]

@@ToothlesstheNightFury510 no

[@grantmorrey5138]

Blaming everything but human encroachment, the real cause.

[@francismarion6400]

Do humans drink salt water?

[@eckankar7756]

Absolutely true

[@donnaddrake1755]

Live in Utah, on any windy day now you look out towards antelope island and you just see tons and tons of dust getting kicked up

[@williambalazs]

I saw one of the dust storms off of the Great Salt Lake when I was in Utah by the Capitol Building staying at a hostel it was almost like I was in Albuquerque New Mexico set the only difference is that's a toxic dust cloud in Utah.

[@kimclarke5018]

I remember how big the salt lake was 30 years ago. It’s shocking to see it first hand now.

[@larryvarner3444]

Keep moving out to the West. Of course the Democrats in California only worry about themselves.

[@raymondwest1973]

In 1983 we had record level flooding. We were literally pumping water out of the lake into the west dessert.

[@reginaschwartz4524]

30 years ago wasn't too big, that's when I moved to SLC, drove by hundreds of times since I had business in Toole. Stinky, though.

[@Golf05]

@@raymondwest1973 I remember that. They had T-shirts made with the logo "I surfed Main Street".

[@andywomack3414]

I remember that Utah built massive pumps to remove water from the lake during the high-stand of 1984. Too many humans.

[@windowzombie]

I think it's funny they present this as a shocking thing even as we've spent the last 100 years doing actions that would exactly cause this, but we decided to double down on those actions and did nothing to oppose it. We were shocked 40 years ago, it's time to do something about it.

[@UnderGroundMerlin]

Long as the same politicians keep getting elected and people thinking this is all according to "scripture" nothing is ever going to change. Like they are just willingly driving off the cliff.

[@david_lawrence_h2703]

Typical humans. Wait for the sky to fall then try to do something about it. We are all mental midgets.

[@dethray1000]

in the 1930ties the midwest was in a massive drought for 10 years--40 millions acres of farmland was lost--the dustbowl--our farm in Mn was covered in sand,dust--shett happens--read about it--cheers for all you drama kings,queens--i was one of the few to ever water ski the great salt lake!! in the 80ties when full--big ass spiders,shett load of flys,massive stink at the marinas,hell on earth!!!!

[@windowzombie]

@@dethray1000 ok, I guess everything will be fine, then. Guess we dodged a bullet, thanks for the clarification

[@chinookvalley]

windowzombie Too little too late.

[@maydaverave]

I would assume loss of evaporation from lake would make rain rarer leading to a feedback loop of drought.

[@wildlyunrulyadventures3942]

I live in Washington state, have my whole life, and last summer was the driest I have ever seen Mt. Rainier. (Known to the Natives as Mount Tahoma which means Mother of Waters.) 2021 was a long, hot, dry summer here in the Evergreen State. We've had terrible wild fires and suffered our own droughts in recent years. Without our signature rain we don't get the snow on the mountains. Without snowpack and glaciers Mother of Waters will no longer have the waters to fill our rivers, lakes and streams. All of this will impact thousands of species, including humans. Pray for our planet. Hope we aren't too late.

[@at1970]

Sooner or later, whether we like it or not, the real cause is going to have to be addressed. Human over population and development. Utah went from 1.4 million in 1980 to 3.5 million today. The state didn’t get a sqft bigger or get anymore resources or water. The same situation applies to the rest of the planet. Infinite population growth in a finite area will never end well.

[@fredricksmith-something.2125]

It's not JUST over population. But that is also the next chip to fall.

[@SnowDaulphin]

Many states are making abortions illegal. Imagine reaching a limited resources crisis 50 years from now where society makes it illegal to have babies.

[@ironspaghett]

@@fredricksmith-something.2125 Human overpopulation is a myth lol Every first world country has a declining birthrate Japan may not exist in a few decades Russia soon to follow shortly after During and after industrialization, nations birth rates start to flat line and then go into decline This pattern has proven true across the globe The good earth is vast and rich, with near unlimited resources in space around us This doom and gloom crap is worse than the Overpopulation you think is a problem which actually isnt

[@joseole1117]

don't tell that to the pro-life peoples, they might shoot you for stating the obvious.

[@ebbeb9827]

its not overpopulation its inefficient use og resources

[@willr5371]

About 20 seconds of talk about conservation and zero mention of how much water we waste here in the Salt Lake Valley. 3ft-5ft grass park strips required in every subdivision, 2ft-20ft wide grassy islands in parking lots & road medians, grass required in retention & detention ponds, zero scape not permitted by HOA's or cities, etc, etc. As a local developer I can tell you, this is 100% ignorance, lazy thinking & failure of leadership issue. To this day(7-21-22) we are still living as though we have an unlimited supply of water here in Utah.

[@dahliablack9017]

Parts of the states are getting way too much rain that we definitely don't need while the other half of the states is in a serious drought! This is just nuts! And sad!

[@freshgeek18]

Its because people keep building and tearing down the flora that retain the moisture in the ground and help regulate ground level temperatures. Start reforesting all the barren areas and dig new waterways for the water to aerate and filter. There's most likely a bunch of restrictions alomg the path of the water from source to the lake. The biggest cause is commercial farming.

[@optimalprimidius7295]

It's a red state. They all have bootstraps! Damn that climate change BS, huh! LOL

[@Hellkite-er5pg]

Hell yeah, they can't fix this problem with smaller government, more corporation tax cuts, more guns, and zero abortions.

[@rsenior7140]

Ever been to the liberal cesspool that is CA?

[@jake57]

So this funny to you? We need to work together to find solutions instead of blaming each other. How can we make real change if everyone is fighting. It's like a toxic relationship where we are just stuck in the mud.

[@katherineolson8426]

It’s not as RED as you think Flooded with Californians, Chicago refugees, Washington state exiles Plus, there’s Romney and Gov Cox in Sheeps clothing

[@optimalprimidius7295]

@@jake57 No, the ignorance and stupidity of the right wing is funny....as funny as it was scary. Now reality hits and you wish to ignore the trash that refused to listen. Nope! We can insult and find solutions. Been finding solutions and listening to stupid for decades. We are experts and doing both. Amazing, huh!

[@andyroach420]

This story did not capture the increased home construction and overall development in the Salt Lake area. Salt Lake, along with many other American cities, are growing and using a lot resources and water. This influx of people is contributing to further exacerbating the lake drying out. This is a scary environmental disaster. Imagine toxic dust blowing off the salt lake.

[@user-NofaceNocase]

And then they tell us we need to save water but they use it just for profit

[@andyroach420]

@@user-NofaceNocase So we need to change how much and what we consume.

[@thokim84]

It doesn't require imagination it's already happening? Do you want to see the world's largest ghost town? Just wait in Salt Lake City.

[@aresorum]

"Salt Lake, along with many other American cities, are growing and using a lot resources and water." Is Salt Lake a drinking water source, though?

[@bluelush4168]

@YJT I hate showers and washing my hands.havent done either in a year and I do stink like pee and pooh.i just don't care if I offend others

[@TheWyrmsfire]

Amazing how water levels can drop in salt lakes open to the seas... and at the same time coastal water levels are rising. It defies reason.

[@glendagraves1637]

We need more reporting on these problems. We will only create real solutions when awareness is raised. Thanks.

[@alexisnogueras9400]

On my way to Moab last year I remember seeing how exposed it looked from the sky. I thought it was a desert and the water appeared minimal. The Colorodo river in Moab was inches deep in sections. Pretty severe and there will be a human and animal migration to the water areas. It will be quite a spectacle.

[@mylesgray3470]

It’s pretty crazy show manny people depend on the Colorado river, which read isn’t very big in the best of times and these are not the best times for water in the western US.

[@junglelane]

Grew up in Western Colorado. It's shocking visiting how much it's all drying up and burning down.

[@Dontbustthecrust]

@@junglelane fucking texans

[@bohdanharasymiw4441]

I guess you didnt listen. Theres no where for the animals to migrate to. This is halfway between north and south migration destinations. Without it species will go 90% extinct if not go altogether

[@peeko_luxx2873]

@@bohdanharasymiw4441 Birds*

[@pleasuretokill]

Lack of clean water will be our downfall as a species as the planet continues to heat up. Im so glad I didnt bring kids into this world...I feel sorry for the next generation...and the one after that may be beyond hope of survival at the rate we are going.

[@Pr3ttyBrwnTwiin]

Amen.

[@pepolite4082]

Same my dude.

[@Kenquinones]

One of the main reasons, I didn't have children was this as well. What future. I fear for my god daughter's future..

[@khakicampbell6640]

Agreed. Antinatalists unite! lol

[@robchewbaccaToys]

What if one of them could solve the problem?

[@imsleepingbeauty]

💔 After all these years, every time I see this I burst into tears. It's such a dangerous and hard life these guys have.

[@zstrode.8953]

I'm in Illinois and never seen our river dry up to the point where everything freaking died and the whole are around it smells like rotten fish its crazy.

[@AnhH88]

For centuries, humankind have selected city sites based on the availability of water sources-many of today’s major cities are port cities or they are near a lake/river. Then land developers decided oh, Los Angeles or the middle of nowhere Arizona would make great cities. Folks, when you build a cities in the desert, this is what happen.

[@pickyourswitchoriginal]

Except it's extremely salty. The lake water can't be used for most things it would be if it were not so saline. In other words, this isn't a source for drinking, lawns, etc. Vegas, yeah I'm with you. SLC, not so much. This is definitely a climate issue.

[@mckaycoombs2338]

Yeah the like indirectly provides water through lake effect storms, packing snow into the mountains creating runoff.

[@Gandhi_Physique]

Oh I didnt know this was in a desert. Desert cities are such a stupid fucking concept. This is still a bad thing though and if this other dude is correct then this was climate not humans fault (well except climatr change is humans fault)

[@Leviatiemily]

@@Gandhi_Physique not humans fault? So is putting chemical in the ground and getting rid of climate protections and climate control rules(thanks trump&other dumb world leaders) and the sheer amount of trash in our oceans too. We fucked up the climate. Out emissions are destroying the layers that protect us from the sun's radiations. We are essentially drinking the earth dry and soon it'll be a husk and the human race will either go extinct. Or magically we find somewhere and have the tech to go to another planet that can sustain us until we destroy that too.

[@ian-j]

Utah is only 33% desert (by definition)

[@antonioreid534]

It’s so nice to see no climate denial. I guess it’s easier to say “we always had 100F temperatures in May in NC, it’s summer,” than it is to say “the Great Lake was always dry.”

[@commandershepard7728]

But there was no great lakes during the time of Pangaea and it was way hotter. Lol That would be the next argument if science deniers didn’t believe the earth is only 6000 years old .

[@TeamAurorapk]

it's not global climate change its regional climate change welcome to the shift of the precession

[@antonioreid534]

@@TeamAurorapk regional climate around the world are changing in response to the global warming caused climate change driven by industrial human civilization.

[@antonioreid534]

@Daniel Hollingsworth, no one is arguing we dictate the weather. Humans have industrialized for the first time starting in 1750. Burning coal, oil, and gas changes (not dictates) the chemical composition of the Earth’s atmosphere. And we have been doing this at an increasing rate every generation since the industrial revolution. Or do you not believe in industrialization????

[@TeamAurorapk]

@@antonioreid534 it's the usual change in precession if you look back this has happened before it happens all the time humans don't effect this. it's just the sky clock. changing of the times is all. it's nothing to fear

[@terryelizabeth2841]

Yes but the majority of the loss was not caused by the drought and heat but caused by animal agricultural methods in the desert taking a significant amount of the water that would feed the lake to allow it to be retained.

[@Visible7777]

Dry Western states fund rain water collection in rainy areas, pickup up water like garbage day. I'm in Tampa, FL, it rains and the water sheds off house off lawns and into streets. I'm in an older neighborhood and our yards are half an acre and they just completed construction on bigger drainage. Florida might pitch in on cost because water that's draining through yards and into oceans is causing the damaging red tides

[@ToniTruth88]

How long did y’all think nature would continue to provide natural resources to millions of people? To think we are ready to colonize a unhabitable planet when ours is becoming more unhabitable in many areas is insane. I liked it better when mankind was respecting nature and building homes and temples from rocks.

[@jayrowe6473]

Yes! I remember the good old days when this was known as "Lake Bonneville"!

[@michaelstratton5223]

You're not seeing the point. It's not the "millions of people" that's the problem. It's the fact that we're all driving around in third row SUVs with modified planet killing exhaust pipes and ridiculing people who actually have the foresight to ride bicycles to work. Our transportation choices affect the world way more than what material we build our homes out of. Wooden houses are one thing but 8 lane traffic jams are killing the ecosystem faster than we can order fast food without turning our engines off.

[@m42037]

Concrete homes/bunker's if you will is not only cheaper (concrete is cheap) it will hold up more to dangerous storm's and low cat hurricanes

[@austingearheart3235]

I visited Antelope Island only a few years ago. It was surreal to look in any direction and as far as you could see there was no sign of anything man made. Just a blue sky reflected in the lake and distant mountains. What added to this ethereal beauty was it was completely silent. Tragedy is not a strong enough word to describe what we see now. Humans do some pretty awful things. But when we decide to, we can do the impossible. It’s time to start doing the impossible.

[@GoUtes92]

Utah’s problem isn’t that it doesn’t have sufficient levels of water. Utah’s problem is it keeps taking water from the rivers that feed the Great Salt Lake in order to feed the lawns for all those new houses. If Utah would just limit secondary water, the lake would probably be fine.

[@admirationlakes8994]

where is the water getting pumped to?

[@orsonhyde7002]

The idea of piping water from the ocean is absolute craziness and the type of thinking that got us into this mess. How about we start by actually addressing climate change? Remember there is a 3-40 year lag in the CC effects..we haven't even seen yet what we've already sown. Mitigation strategies w/o greatly reducing or ending emissions can't solve the issue. We'll always be behind. And Utah has historically been horrible with water management. One of the driest states and the second highest water use per capita...lawns everywhere in he middle of the desert. Remove them around the Mormon church buildings alone and it would conserve millions of gallons.

[@johnmurkwater1064]

It's my understanding that filling the lake back up would actually help by creating more rain and snowpack, that would in be extremely beneficial to everyone, especially in the future.

[@brianfox771]

If you look at all the massive water diversion infrastructure in California to water the central valley, piping ocean water to the Great Salt Lake isn't all that far fetched, tbh.

[@Anomize23]

It’s amazing how we can have a big pipe for oil to go across the continent of the United States but with water “well we don’t know” 🤷‍♂️

[@telecomgear]

There is no such thing as climate change.

[@johanvangelderen6715]

@@Anomize23 How do you propose to lift vast quantities of water to an elevation of 4200 feet ?

[@postholedigger8726]

One of the largest contributors of droughts is climate change. One of the largest contributors of climate change is deforestation. This isn't just about trees, it is about preserving forests and preventing deforestation. Stripping out a forest and replacing the forest with a grass lawn and a couple of trees is not going to solve the problem. Replacing a forest with a lawn and concrete is even worse. The heat in subdivisions that have done this is unbearable. One might think that anybody who got into a car that was sitting in a mall parking lot on a sunny day would figure this out; not so. Forests ABSORB radiant heat,. Asphalt, concrete, roofs of buildings, and lawns REFLECT radiant heat. Reflected radiant heat creates a high pressure atmospheric area preventing rain clouds from entering the area. Forests absorb radiant heat creating a low atmospheric area which attracts rain clouds. When there is no rain, you have a drought.

[@liamsparling]

It’s really not but ok. Utah is wasteful with conservation of water. The temps haven’t been much different if liked at the long term it’s not bad or different

[@eddiet2602]

I didn't really study science,but everything you said,I've always said

[@sevenmiller9042]

It's because of a polor shift liberal brainless idiots

[@sevenmiller9042]

@@eddiet2602 it's because of polor shift. But liberal media keeps this quiet

[@history6988]

It's low because more water is being deverted before it gets to the lake.

[@Rdawgg100]

Why is it when they document salt lake or Lake Mead water levels, they never talk about the impact of the massive growth of Vegas, or SLC. Look at water use in the area the last 30 years,

[@kickstart3179]

People need to realize nothing last forever. The world is constantly changing with or without us.

[@HighWarlordJC]

Who could have predicted a problem decades in the making would get worse?/s It's not like half the lake dried up in the last couple years. Year after year they saw it get lower and lower and did almost nothing about it. Now their lackluster attempts didn't have any effect and they have to do something drastic and/or dangerous.

[@benefactionhindrance]

It’s unfortunate no one warned us…

[@adamFIVE88]

@@benefactionhindrance well to be fair, people have been telling us to change our ways or stuff like this would happen since I was a child. I'm 34 now. Too little too late.

[@el34glo59]

@@adamFIVE88 I think he was being sarcastic

[@adamFIVE88]

@@el34glo59 oh gotchya hahah I'm running on 6 hrs sleep in 2 days. It flew right over my head.

[@buildingadreamontheeastcoa1671]

Oh now that it’s too late let’s do something about it honestly people are just so brain dead they don’t understand the concept of life it’s pathetic

[@garikj766]

It's a common trend of the 20th and 21st century. Problems aren't problems until it's too late. This issue has been raised back since 2015, no/little measures have been taken since. People just take available resources for granted.

[@aionguardian9062]

There's something strange about all this..

[@davidlama6853]

This is all because of factory farming and animals methane gas emissions!! Factory farming is number one cause of climate change and no one talks about it because we are brainwashed by all these big corporate companies and media !!!

[@5starlifestyle555]

Oh shut up You talking like you're doing something on mass about it remember you are "people" too

[@Marijuanifornia]

The 13-minute, 42-second 1942 US Department of Agriculture video *Hemp for Victory* is the key to reducing unemployment, reducing poverty, reducing hunger, reducing homelessness, reducing health care costs, reducing crime, reducing police brutality, reducing government spending, reducing political corruption, reducing pollution, replacing fossil fuels, ending deforestation and stopping climate change, all at the same time. There is an official .gov link to the film from the US National Archives. It has been public since 1990. There was a bill in Congress titled HR 3652, the *Hemp for Victory Act of 2019.*

[@timothyhoffman3470]

So there is no water under the ground!~? I find that hard to believe!

[@michaelm.1947]

We're seeing play out in the Great Salt Lake what's played out in the Aral Sea. Most of it's been dried up due to overuse during Soviet times. Pesticides and leftovers from weapons testing (told to me by a guide when I was there) are in the sand now, so any bit of wind creates a hazard as it spreads those contaminants from the dried sea bed into the air. Take a look at the hardships the people around the Aral Sea are facing - that's what's coming for people around the Great Salt Lake.

[@mixz9929]

I swear I've been noticing the sun light seems hotter like temp isn't to over the top but while in direct sun light it's crazy I never had to shield myself from the sun like I have been lately it's just feeling to hot

[@levanahyll5884]

All the pollution is damaging the outer layer of the atmosphere that was protecting us from the sun’s radiation.

[@johnstrauch8949]

Look up the video (the dimming by Dane Wigington) you will get your answer

[@sevenmiller9042]

It's because polorshift liberal fools

[@i-amkpj6508]

I have Been feeling the same .. the sun is Scotching even at temps in the 80’s

[@history6988]

That's normal as we age.

[@RedShipsofSpainAgain]

Hmm, a mystery. It's almost as if there's not enough water in Utah to support such a huge population.

[@bubbasizemore4556]

They just keep building apartments like crazy.

[@riley_oneill]

@@bubbasizemore4556 Apartments don't have large yards that need to be watered.

[@UnderGroundMerlin]

@@bubbasizemore4556 Better to build up than to have the "American" suburbs.

[@BillyDLion]

Definitely not a mystery. It is called climate change and republikkklans are just helping make it worse. Thankful it is mostly republikkklan states that are suffering now but they will flee to blue states and spread their idiocy here soon enough.

[@fredcoyote9477]

Also, no rain or snowpack due to climate change. How’s the weather where you live?

[@abeautifulmindispoetrydefi5323]

The knock on effect will be devastating, and I cannot begin to explain. While some experts mention the potential of what may take place. We clearly are not getting through to those in authority that we are no longer behind the curve, we are fire fighting and it's only just starting.

[@3js1luvvme60]

And Mississippi is Flooding, this is the strange world we live in!