The Great Salt Lake getting billions of gallons of water

The Weber Basin Water Conservancy District opened up a spillway Thursday that is now releasing billions of gallons of water into the Great Salt Lake.

[@thehammer3193]

It takes 325,851 gallons of water for 1 Acre foot of water. The great Salt Lake is a little over 1 million square acres. So, to raise the lake a single foot will require approximately 325.851 billion gallons of water. If we are releasing "a few billion gallons per day" ( I always understood a few = 3 or so) then we would need to keep this going for about 3.5 months to raise the lake a single foot. This is why people are saying it's not enough. Because it isn't.

[@travisritzman6772]

And yet the lake level has risen 4 feet since January.???

[@triciac1019]

Thank you for explaining that!

[@justaguyfromreddit]

imagine using metric system

[@Gravitycreatedlife]

​@@travisritzman6772since November 22

[@thehammer3193]

@@travisritzman6772 Not sure why that is a question. It has risen 4 feet because the lake has received a little over 1 Trillion gallons of water. Much of that falling directly from storms. It kind of gives you a new appreciation for mother nature's ability to move water. Plus, from the article we are talking about a few billion gallons a day of new water flow into the GSL. There were already existing flows. We are just adding to it. I was merely pointing out the extra efforts we are making are great, but in the end, it won't make that much of a difference.

[@trentgay3437]

A little drop in the bucket, but I'm glad you guys got it.

[@phav1832]

The video looked like several drops :-)

[@reidellis1988]

I have been alive for almost 53 years. Not once has Alta had over 900 inches of snow. This year was not one in ten.

[@PleaseLikeMyComments]

Completely agree.

[@triciac1019]

Something I noticed during the winter is that the snow melted on my neighbor's gravel area and their artificial turf where the snow on my lawn didn't melt as fast. This showed me that not only do we need to be waterwise, we need to do it in a way that keeps our yards cooler. We can see also that the snow melts on asphalt and cement faster than on grass.

[@levidudley]

Yes it’s called the Albedo effect. Good Point.

[@NickoBaggins]

It also depends on which direction your yard is facing. My south-facing driveway generally melts quickly with little need for shoveling while my neighbors across the street have to shovel and salt theirs. Similar story with snow on our lawns - mine melts first.

[@AhJodie]

Yes, shade is good. I can hardly stand to go to the side of town where there are few trees and huge parking lots for Discount stores in the summer because of the temperature increase and raise in uncomfortableness! Flowers come up first on the sides of walls facing south, because the ground gets warmer faster.

[@gljames24]

The Urban heat effect can be reduced with more tree coverage, more public transit reducing asphalt, and aerodynamic buildings that allow the wind to wick away heat from urban areas.

[@ncubesays]

Very good point. Native grasses too!!

[@Mooocheropordis]

In Britain during a long drought in the 70s the govt advice was to share a bath with a friend 😅. So good to see you're blessed with rain

[@1sttigertiger426]

This year's wet winter was a rare occurrence. What is the long-term plan, and source(s) of the additional water for farmer, industry, residents and the Great Salt Lake?

[@williebeamish5879]

Long term plans? Is that actually possible with our governing bodies?

[@Scionmalth]

The long term plan is to let all the drinkable water go to the salty sea so they can raise your water bill and control your life !

[@LK-pc4sq]

um no its not. Earth is going into another ElNinoo so the moisture is traveling out of the south pacific and into the coast of the SW usa.

[@TP-ie3hj]

Live a little longer you will see you have been taken for a ride. This is how it works...lakes been there for a long time and will be there for a long time...in my life they were building pumps to get ridd of the water...you too will see this at some time as well. Then it will go down...back up ...back down... someone just wants your money or your vote..

[@shawnjensen3896]

Long-term plan, mother nature

[@Sidicas]

Make the basin bigger. When reservoirs are full you have 2 years of deliveries? And it only fills up every 10 years? Get these people that can't figure out this math out of positions of government ASAP!

[@TheEsseboy]

Because if that reservoir could hold 10 years worth it wouldn't let anything through for the rest of the basins down stream...there isn't enough water...

[@laskey2175]

So once every 10 years we have enough water for 2 years. 😟

[@rosiehawtrey]

There was a kinda fundamental reason people didn't live in Utah until science and the industrial revolution started happening. Its mostly desert and rattlesnakes.. Although the Amerindians did quite well there by seeing their population and activities to the environment, not vice versa..

[@savagegtalks5912]

@@rosiehawtrey technology makes people ignorant to how many the land can actually sustain 🤣

[@dfinlen]

Why not Nuclear powered desalination plants or cloud seeding The reasons for scarcity are all man made. The myth that nature is fragile and sacred will destroy our children's future.

[@rosiehawtrey]

@@dfinlen Not a scientist are you? The problem isn't the amount of water you can shove through a desalinator, it's not even nuclear waste, if you use Thorium. The problem is heat, in the water that goes back into the sea, we already are on the knife edge for Aragonite - shed loads of any type of desalination = heat = acidity = shells don't form (Aragonite) = the Great Dying II. But I wouldn't worry, we'll be well on the way to extinction in about 3 generations anyway - look up micro dosing, pyrethroids, dioxin, pcbs, and the like.. Fertility related birth defects like double wombs and intersex conditions. Humanity has done a brilliant job of killing itself.

[@savagegtalks5912]

@@dfinlen the myth? what an ignorant view from a typical America... You absolutely don't know how to preserve your nature and country. Without a doubt, you is part of the laughing stock... 🤣 "children's future", your boarders been open for the past 250 years... you failed. Trojans also expected to be here today... but they also failed at keeping the boarders closed and draw bridge up.

[@therightquestion2983]

We didn't prepare before.....and we ended up in this mess. We definitely need to conserve! (like NOT building a stupid Waterpark in St. George)

[@billhosko7723]

You sanctimonious types NEVER do all you can to limit YOUR impacts upon Earth. Neverrrr...

[@therightquestion2983]

@@billhosko7723 You would be very wrong! And you're confusing common sense with sanctimony.

[@therightquestion2983]

@@billhosko7723 Actually you judgemental types never gather actual info before you judge someone. My family is very conservation minded....from food to gas and water. What do you do?

[@bobfish3176]

Funny how they want the public to conserve when they only use 4-7% of the water!

[@Makifo]

Build more reservoirs while the winters are plentiful.

[@writethisthat3613]

That's a very logical, reasonable, common sense, well thought out statement. How on Earth did this get by the moderators?!

[@procrastinatingpuma]

It doenst work like that

[@rodneyficklin9281]

Of course we need to use water more wisely as populations grow! We can also stop for five minutes and be grateful for a record setting year. I would like to see more data as to were we are and what projected needs are and projected plans to deal with growing needs.

[@drcornelius8275]

Populations aren't growing in the US though.... oh yeah, millions of people from around the world walk into the country through open borders.

[@cbpd89]

Since ~80% of Utah's water is used for agriculture, it's safe to say that the best thing we could do to prepare for a growing population is start choosing more water wise crops and using efficient watering methods (so not flooding and sprinklers like we do now)

[@dlmalley8639]

Agreed 👍 but Red States ( Republicans) don't believe in Science. 🙄😑

[@dlmalley8639]

​@@drcornelius8275 over population is a world wide issue. India. China Malaysia many countries are in trouble. Be prepared for a huge migration of people who once had homes and food as the environment of Earth decline.

[@the-Albino-Rhino]

The data says stop growing.

[@vickieskinn9641]

Thank God for water. 🙏 Praise God.

[@troy.peters]

Your god had nothing to do with it.

[@gtv6chuck]

@@troy.peters That was completely unnecessary. Think about it, then think about it again.

[@troy.peters]

@@gtv6chuck What am I supposed to think about? If some god made it rain, why did the same god cause the drought? So you can say praise to him for fixing his wrong and make yourself feel like you did something good?

[@gtv6chuck]

@@troy.peters That has nothing to do with it. It has to do with respect for other people, their beliefs and feelings.

[@troy.peters]

@@gtv6chuck What about respecting the beliefs and feelings of those who don't want to hear about some god? I do not disrespect anyone for their beliefs, they can believe whatever they want. There is just no need to post about some god you believe solved the issue.

[@aired-downdisconnected4125]

Hopefully this water is used wisely. Might not get another winter like this.

[@weirdshibainu]

Of course we'll get another winter like this.

[@themidnighttavern6784]

@@weirdshibainu What's the evidence to back up your claim? This is the most amount of snow we've gotten in decades, arguably the highest amount of snowfall in the history of recorded Utah winters.

[@weirdshibainu]

@@themidnighttavern6784 Decades is nothing in terms of climate or weather. 99 percent of what we know about weather we've learned since ww2. Records are broken repeatedly. What are you thinking? This is the heaviest snowfall we've ever received or ever will? Where's your evidence?

[@themidnighttavern6784]

@@weirdshibainu So this is a freak storm, a 1 in 50 year event. That's what I'm using as the basis for my claims. It's a statistical outlier. Will we get another winter like this? Maybe in another few decades. But we can't reliably count on it.

[@d.e.p.-j.7106]

@@weirdshibainu The article says it's 1 out of 10 years. That's not often.

[@spockspock]

Time to fire up the West DesertPumping Station! Thanks Norm Bangerter for your foresight!

[@Jaradis]

They need to build a tunnel from the Snake River to the GSL. It's about 70 miles, so we've done that before. The NYC aqueduct is ~100 miles long and the Arizona one is 336 miles long. When the Snake River is flooding you can divert water to the GSL to reduce the flooding along the Snake River.

[@c1ifactation]

This is a brilliant idea makes you wonder why they haven’t done it yet

[@zombiecucumber7700]

Good luck getting the state of Idaho to go along with that.

[@c1ifactation]

@@zombiecucumber7700 I mean the snake floods a lot more and has way more water to spare

[@krisb5638]

the closest points between the two are very similar in elevation as well, leading to what theoretically would be a somewhat easily managed system that could be highly beneficial for the entire western US

[@CortexNewsService]

That's what people thought when they built aqueducts from the Colorado River to LA. That's become a problem. The Snake also feeds the Columbia River. Oregon and Washington are getting drier and will need that water as well. It's a nice idea but a project that large could have a lot of big unintended consequences.

[@TrilobitesRTasty]

Do folks know if there is discussion about Utah decreasing the use of grass lawns (which require watering, of course), in favor of desert landscaping?

[@bob15479]

Only 10% of GSL inflow diversions go to residential use, both culinary AND outdoor. Meanwhile 80% go to agriculture. Residents could cease watering, drinking and bathing altogether and it works do little for GSL

[@TrilobitesRTasty]

@@bob15479 I know in California, famers grow crops that use massive amounts of water...such as rice and oats. That needs to stop. We even export rice to China! So, what crops are raised in Utah that require a lot of water? ..cattle?

[@katherinem.4414]

I know….very stupid, and I live in the middle-eastern part of the valley. We did something else with our yard. Our sprinkler system got punctured, so we could not maintain the lawn in every area. I consider it in part, a blessing. I wish our yard was managed better, though. I just do not have the say. We have a water 💦 conservation place in the valley, to show people how to do it, so we should all plant to conserve…,at least with part of our yards if not all. I hopefully will be moving from here one day, though. I need to be where it is quieter, and less crowded.

[@fabulousauruspeks7010]

@@TrilobitesRTasty Utah's big water-wasting crop is alfalfa.

[@justdobetter8]

Awesome. Water is much needed in Salt lake.

[@TheCactusjack1]

It will never snow or rain ever again.

[@MarshallArtz007]

Good to know! 😀

[@billiamc1969]

GUARANTEE the lake will NOT fill back to "normal levels"

[@cbpd89]

It would say 3-4 years of this kind of snow to get the lake back to normal.

[@MO-qd6tm]

Yet you have people like Elon musk complaining that lack of human population growth is unsustainable. Make that make sense to me. Less people is a good thing!!

[@Isaachsargent]

How about we get smart like Las Vegas where we recycle 97% of our water 😂

[@user-qr2gd7me6c]

When speaking of great volumes of water, one does not use the small measure of a "gallon". Rather one speaks of "acre feet" of water.

[@ut000bs]

Well, professor. It depends on your target audience. The average person would not know how much water an acre foot is.

[@shane8225]

Everyone needs to put in native plants for front yards and unused grassy areas at businesses. Also all new construction needs to be Native plants,gravel or some water wise landscaping.

[@cyankirkpatrick5194]

Pea gravel helps retain water.

[@DWilliams-ce8nb]

''We still have the need to jack up your water bill Sky High'' LOL

[@Distress.]

Water bill should always be high in the DESERT southwest.

[@tomcaviar7651]

They’re always stuck in a drought. Its the never ending drought

[@ut000bs]

That is probably why they call it a desert.

[@famousnobodyz]

That's a Great Start!

[@sherise_2020]

I agree we still need to conserve, Utah has had crazy weather since 2012

[@PInk77W1]

I’m riding my bicycle from Reno to SLC next week. Hope I don’t get washed away

[@markbrockman9859]

Don’t forget Utah needs to keep those wealthy residents in green golf courses.

[@Pusha-lh7tg]

Drive your truck on it

[@rolandaaden-hussey1672]

Conserve water everyone! We need to be sure there's enough for the golf courses!!

[@chhindz]

How is the spiral jetty?

[@grumpygnome9316]

Ever notice how everybody's got to conserve except government

[@davidstaley7290]

We are actually in, a 4 times every 300 hundred year event and should have strong winters for the next five years….

[@Water-cr6pc]

Save water!!!!

[@Loagun]

Is all that water weight good for the sitting volcanoes of that area....

[@jimtaylor6930]

Part of the problem is those metal gate dams they got in the Jordan river set too high water is not moving . Like it use to years ago . Same is with the Weber and Ogden where they both meet. Dont know on the Bear river if it has any of those gates and if it flows in to the lake . They just need to lower those gates some to get a more even flow year round to the lake . Bit of history here way back in the 60s in the winter I'd be walking in snow up to my knees in grade school. 70s was just below the knees in jr high and high school . The last really good snow we got was 36 inches in the valley. I forget what year that was. Fact is when the Great Salt Lake has plenty of water in it we dont really have dry years . Any way i put my two bits worth in on this wayer situation

[@reidellis1988]

Lake effect is essential. The problem is that there will never be enough water to facilitate endless development. Utah is the second driest state.

[@raybod1775]

A billion here, a billion there, it adds up.

[@azalli]

Now tell the farmers to conserve it

[@pamelawing5747]

That lake really needs an influx of new water.

[@robl7347]

so they are telling people to conserve while they dump fresh water into a salt lake. Doesn't make sense.

[@dr.a006]

I’ll do my part to relieve excess water in the Weber river by watering my lawn. Kind of a diversion if you will.😅

[@luckyc3926]

💯

[@luckyc3926]

Just doesn’t make sense.

[@NickoBaggins]

There will be huge environmental impacts to the valley if the great salt lake dries up - it would be catastrophic to the people living here.

[@luckyc3926]

@@NickoBaggins Sorry my friend but it has been drying for over 1000 years. Where I live it was once covered in water. One day there maybe a mormon living in the bottom of what was once the GSL.

[@davidhagerman7165]

What is needed is more reservoir's to extend the time period of the wet seasons.

[@Dog.soldier1950]

Wait what? We were told only a weeks ago that the GSL was disappearing FOREVER!

[@happycanayjian1582]

Utah is the 2nd driest State in the country!?!? 😳 Nevada? Arizona? New Mexico? I never would have guessed Utah would be second…

[@MarkTurner-vs7uc]

Liberals cry if it's dry, cry if it rains.

[@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394]

Snowflake.

[@markbrockman9859]

As long as right wingers can keep their lawns and golf courses green.

[@STGKKS]

Glad were packing in as many people as we possibly can along the wasatch front. I'm sure mother nature will provide.

[@midwake9951]

Alfalfa farms and other water intensive ag are the biggest users by a lot. Typical consumers can't conserve their way out of the water shortage issues.

[@cbpd89]

Midi is right. Household/yard use accounts for about 10% of water use, agriculture for about 80%. If we can get farmers to switch away from alfalfa and field flooding and sprinklers, we'd save a lot of water.

[@UncleKennysPlace]

"Billions" is cool, but if you added a couple of billion gallons instantly the the GSL, you wouldn't notice the increase in depth.

[@wm3293]

Tell that to Niagara Falls

[@arklinmike]

2:24 He hit the nail on the head. continually growing the population is not sustainable. It's already too much, or there wouldn't be so much worry.

[@ut000bs]

It isn't the population as much as it is we aren't expanding infrastructure to meet it. Look at California. They haven't okayed a new water project in over 40 years. We are outgrowing our ability to supply.

[@geomodelrailroader]

that's good news Salt Lake is healing itself. Hopefully there will be enough water this year to fill it up.

[@billhosko7723]

Before man, it WAS vastly larger.

[@slothmarathonpromotions2470]

I hear they are changing the name to the mediocre salt lake

[@rickylee4228]

In a few years it’ll be the “Meh Salt Lake”.

[@mr.potter9426]

And don't forget to stay scared.

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

Your non sequitur comment helps no one!!

[@mr.potter9426]

@@michaeldeierhoi4096 and yours does?

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

@@mr.potter9426 Of course. I'm just stating the obvious for those who sometimes miss the obvious!! 😅

[@mr.potter9426]

@@michaeldeierhoi4096 so what you are really saying is I am correct, ty,apology accepted.

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

@@mr.potter9426 😂😅. Take it however you want. And have a good day while you are at it.

[@kylea4953]

Still need to conserve and up your water bill for our revenue. It's gullible warming people don't pay attention to all the 15 minute cities we are developing.

[@saltylegion6288]

Desalination,say it with me folks Desalination. If they control the water they control you.

[@MikeSmith-ch7jv]

the climate is cumming back!

[@guidedmeditation2396]

Before you get too excited. All that water is going to be very salty.

[@mikeL1080p]

Look at what Aamir Khan is doing in India with the Paani foundation. The American West could learn a lot from them.

[@raclark2730]

Have been watching Andrew Millisons videos on the topic, great stuff.

[@TheTexasDuke]

Indeed learn to store it better

[@randomreal3228]

is there any fish on the lake? (asking from the fishing enthusiast point of view)

[@ptyleranodon3081]

The only thing you're fishing out of there is brine shrimp and salt.

[@BreakneckTrent]

Water is good

[@marcoantonio-df4mr]

Pretty good 👍

[@markmiranda9461]

The fact that California has dumped billions into the fast rail track that’s not even 40% done but hasn’t started making more reservoirs until last year is a complete failure.

[@djaishwgak8017]

that news anchor lady was having trouble reading.

[@Briguy1027]

Well it sounds like good news -- the Lake needs that water big time.

[@toniklemm1172]

And not once was climate change mentioned. It's amazing how reluctant people still are to mention the link to climate change when discussing extremes like dry or wet years.

[@russian13973]

The reason we have water problems in California is because the government can’t find ways to use the problem to make money for their donors.

[@billiamc1969]

WELL SAID...

[@PabloRodriguez-xj1yk]

Exactly

[@weirdshibainu]

I live in Nevada and had the opportunity to talk with a retired water resource manager from California. It was a long talk and he explained the machinations of water politics in California. This posting would be 3 feet long and still not do it justice. I asked him a question as the conversation continued " How is it that California is on the verge of a drought and yet I see bottled water from California in stores in Nevada and it's on sale? It doesn't make sense according to market economics." He said " It's easy...you know what the number one problem is for water management in California? It's that water flows uphill to the money."

[@johnwilson6271]

Nice!!!

[@janetleishman3776]

About time

[@jaygua8006]

Good thing i live in Chicago imma go to the lake tomorrow 🤪

[@Isaachsargent]

I’d bet you next year we will be back into a drought seeing the reason re got all this rain and snow was due to a volcano eruption back in January. It released a bunch of water vapor into the troposphere which shifted the jet stream. Making the weather patters change. So therefor we probably will see continue drought

[@ut000bs]

That is not true or what caused our wet, cold winter.

[@redpillaware5101]

So no one is going to say anything about the helicopter collision that was narrowly avoided?

[@krishgounder5116]

Conservation is planned. Hopefully, they will replenish the aquifers. 😢

[@normansilver905]

Doing what is has been doing for that past thousand years or so. There is an abundance of water right now. BUT don' think the wests water woes are over with.

[@papasquat355]

Just do to the GSL what California did to Lake Tulare and get rid of it. We don't need lakes anyway. They're a waste of prime real-estate for condos, apartments, and WalMart stores.

[@JaneHall-xc2wd]

2nd dryest state in nation. I wonder how many golf courses huge hotel grounds are located in that state?

[@markokay1726]

❤

[@TR-nw8hz]

Snow melts when its not cold

[@markdoolan7282]

I am not american but i have seen videos of that Salton lake in California . I think this lake is in Utah I’m guessing. Nevertheless i am wondering if all this excess water in the Californian reservoirs could not dump or pump the excess over into that Salton lake to help save it , or flush it or whatever as it has lost so much water over the last few decades. Just saying all this would be a place they could redirect the excess and may be do something good with it and avoid flooding? May be it’s not that simple and I’m talking crap but suddenly you have got all this over load of water and that Salton Sea needs a drink bad.

[@freefall9832]

Wasn't that man-made?

[@beyondthebreaks]

The Salton Sea was an engineering failure and disaster. A lake that shouldn't exist. GSL is a natural body of water.

[@melvinrexwinkle1510]

OMG, the lake is not going dry?

[@starrider4878]

They sound like a politician. The snow is going to melt and cause flooding and I know because I paid hundreds of thousands to go to school to learn that.

[@dtsh4451]

You are ripped off, literally can learn all of that on KZbin for free😂

[@will7its]

Bunch of dumb "Experts"

[@lindastonebraker2512]

Visually it’s great… but we’re still out of our reserves and ground water.

[@franklesser5655]

When climate change isn't bringing drought it brings abundant water.

[@TheEsseboy]

You are talking about weather, global warming brings more extreme weather...

[@ty5967]

Conserve, yeah right.

[@Ekka007]

When reservoirs are at maximum capacity there's only 2 years of supply.... that there is not good enough especially with an expanding population/city. Good luck.

[@RCdiy]

Maybe ban lawns.

[@carinwiseman4309]

Yay!

[@rpf276]

The American West could learn a lot from Israel in how to manage water in a country that is most desert and semi-arid and can't rely on their neighbors either. They are the world leaders at truly efficient water management and infrastructure.

[@jimyeats]

Managing water is a lot easier when your country is the size of New Jersey. Sure, doesn’t mean they don’t have good practices, but it’s a lot easier to implement that when your country is small enough to drive across lengthwise in about 5 hours.

[@maxfastest]

There's no profit in sensible living in our country . Never gonna happen.

[@MrThorp1]

@@jimyeats yeah, not only is it the size of jersey, they are also right next to the Mediterranean sea. They get 75% of their water from desalinization. We only have a handful of states that could do that. Seeing as how Utah is like 1500 miles from the nearest ocean, it may be a problem.

[@1rexrex]

@@MrThorp1 Problem is that those states dont do it either. They buy water from states like Utah. If they did. Then Utah would have the water it needed.

[@MrThorp1]

@@1rexrex as Steve mentioned above. Cheaper , therefore ,more profit to just buy it. Maybe Utah should stop selling

[@HungerSTR1KE]

Getting 2 years' of water once every 10 years isn't nearly enough.

[@matthewmolina2706]

Most of that water is going to car washes , lawns and golf courses .

[@julielindholme9584]

Praise God ! Prophets said the snow would be measured in feet, and the deserts would bloom.

[@Dr.Pepper001]

It is feast or famine when it comes to water in the Great Salt Lake.

[@grantmorrey5138]

Honestly you've got a giggle. When humans think they are smarter than Mother Nature

[@billhosko7723]

The link is filled with those that believe it... tho NONE of them EVER do all they can to limit THEIR impact upon Earth. Absolute hypocrites they ALL are.

[@jamescarroll1473]

👍

[@basketballspinner]

by the billions

[@notagain1952]

Golfers need their greens....

[@tayl0r612]

Seems like everyone in this video is having a tough time getting their words out

[@Junitago]

People in Utah need to get this through their thick skulls

[@stevetilbrook3402]

Water,, is pure life..

[@susanm9124]

Catchment basins and aquaducts in the mountains

[@stuarthayward2220]

No worries, they’ll release enough water until there’s another “drought emergency”

[@richarddecker9515]

You need more reservoirs

[@stanleymcomber4844]

How about shutting down the immigration particularly illegal immigration to the state. We only have so much water, so increasing the state population does not help the water issue.