Will Utah's Great Salt Lake disappear?

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.พ. 2023
  • Utah's Great Salt Lake has been in decline, owing to climate change, drought, and over-use of water resources, and is now one-third the size it was in the 1980s. A new scientific report warns that, without dramatic and immediate cuts in water consumption, the lake could vanish in just five years. Correspondent Lee Cowan talks with Sen. Mitt Romney, who co-sponsored a bill studying the lake's problems, and with experts who say aggressive action is needed.
    #greatsaltlake #utah #waterconservation
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ความคิดเห็น • 723

  • @RHTeebs
    @RHTeebs ปีที่แล้ว +119

    It's heartbreaking to see a lake you know so well, die. I'm from Buffalo. When Lake Erie was classified as a dead lake, I was devastated. I know it's not quite the same, but, seeing a lake you love, filled with memories, being classified as dead. Unsafe to swim in. It would be awful.
    I couldn't even imagine seeing Lake Erie disappear completely.

    • @guyserious2468
      @guyserious2468 ปีที่แล้ว

      It's not even caused by nature. It's just being drained by God loving lawns.

    • @feelinguru-vywiththepaingu9808
      @feelinguru-vywiththepaingu9808 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I understand. For my family it's Lake Mead in Arizona and Nevada. So many memories are caught up in it. To see the water so low is heartbreaking.

    • @carlpierce7991
      @carlpierce7991 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      When you mean its dead does that mean its polluted and stuff?

    • @darksu6947
      @darksu6947 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      ​@@carlpierce7991 Yes that's what it means.

    • @thesoundsmith
      @thesoundsmith ปีที่แล้ว

      It IS the same. We are killing the ecosystem. And NOBODY is seriously trying to stop it, they just want to buy their way out and blame the other guy. We are the SECOND LARGEST polluter, and we shipped all our manufacturing to China or Mexico. WTF are we DOING to generate all that crap?

  • @iansmith2094
    @iansmith2094 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Utah appears to be ignoring the obvious correction. STOP diverting water away from the lake. No company, individual, nor organization has a right to any of the water that then generates a problem for someone else. Period. End stop. Cut off all diversions by all force necessary, NOW. What part of that does Utah not understand.?

    • @sherriianiro747
      @sherriianiro747 ปีที่แล้ว

      Someone earlier in this thread said the farmers are on the water board.

  • @romstar
    @romstar ปีที่แล้ว +45

    For the lake to recede that dramatically over the course of at least 40 years is tragic 😭🥺

    • @thisguy73
      @thisguy73 ปีที่แล้ว

      Let me guess you contribute to George Soros.

  • @mrscottygreenwood
    @mrscottygreenwood ปีที่แล้ว +44

    The state knew this was coming and just kept ignoring the problem

    • @marcoschavez1028
      @marcoschavez1028 ปีที่แล้ว

      Mormonism at its best

    • @HobbyOrganist
      @HobbyOrganist ปีที่แล้ว +3

      The root of all todays problems is human overpopulation, the consquences of jamming 333 MILLION people onto the same land area that as recently as the year 1900 had just 75 million, and just 100 years before that in 1800 the population was only a little more than live in NY City alone today- about 14 million. As long as we keep adding more people exponentially like this, the problem will only get worse no matter what "mitigation" measures are attempted.

    • @O-sa-car
      @O-sa-car ปีที่แล้ว +3

      It’s not too many people but they’re in the wrong places and too much farming is done in arid areas

    • @zonegaming3498
      @zonegaming3498 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@HobbyOrganist Maybe you should take action on this situation of overpopulation and lower it by not existing.

    • @AxelQC
      @AxelQC ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Exasperating the problem by putting growth ahead of ecology.

  • @xstraightedgefishingx
    @xstraightedgefishingx ปีที่แล้ว +36

    I never thought I would ever say I could respect Mitt Romney, but I have to give him due credit for this.

    • @petebusch9069
      @petebusch9069 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Credit for what, just standing there watching it dry up?

    • @skiyalater626
      @skiyalater626 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Credit for what? Nature TRUMPS Romney and will have its way.

    • @buyallmeans425
      @buyallmeans425 ปีที่แล้ว

      For what...? 25 million to monitor the situation. What have they been doing for the last decade or more?

    • @josephmayfield945
      @josephmayfield945 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@skiyalater626 “I’m in a cult.”

  • @kitlc1
    @kitlc1 ปีที่แล้ว +86

    As a former Utahn, this is so sad. It’s such a naturally beautiful place that deserves to be environmentally protected.

    • @coomtothebroom778
      @coomtothebroom778 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      As a former Utahn myself, I echo this statement. A natural beauty sadly lost and deserves protection for our descendants.

    • @isocarboxazid
      @isocarboxazid ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Vote Republican, vote for climate deniers, reap the rewards. Great job, Utah.

    • @rzrdude2782
      @rzrdude2782 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@isocarboxazid not sure what this has to do with politics. But it will be full again after the crazy amount of snow we got this winter.

    • @ckstaff
      @ckstaff ปีที่แล้ว

      It doesn't need protection, it needs water.

    • @ckstaff
      @ckstaff ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@isocarboxazid Are you saying Democrats can fill the Great Salt Lake? LOL

  • @anthonys.8569
    @anthonys.8569 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    As a Salt Lake resident- this is one of many reasons I plan to move out of the valley. Not taking the risk of this with my family.

  • @loriblessner9663
    @loriblessner9663 ปีที่แล้ว +40

    My first visit in the late 80’s, the lake was lapping at I-80 as we drove by, creepy. Last visit in 2019, water nowhere to be seen. I thought I had taken a wrong turn, such a difference 😢

    • @thisguy73
      @thisguy73 ปีที่แล้ว

      Vota MAGA! DONALD J TRUMP WOULD MAKE THIS LAKE RISE FASTER THAN JESUS CHRIST!

  • @crookedbird6589
    @crookedbird6589 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    If you live in a dry country you shouldn't have green lawns.

  • @annapri1526
    @annapri1526 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    These kind of stories always make me cry. I'm about to finish my Bachelors of Science in Energy and Sustainability Policy at Penn State and learning about all the damage to our planet over the last 150 years makes me extremely sad and worried everyday.

  • @guyserious2468
    @guyserious2468 ปีที่แล้ว +36

    Every "fix" to the help our environment is going to cost someone somewhere a profit. It will be said that "jobs are going to be lost." But a job is temporary, and a profit is private. We're talking about our obligation to our descendants.

    • @tuckerbugeater
      @tuckerbugeater ปีที่แล้ว

      So consumers don't benefit from their business?

    • @JG-tt4sz
      @JG-tt4sz ปีที่แล้ว

      Ok boomer.

    • @guyserious2468
      @guyserious2468 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@JG-tt4sz lol your reply

    • @mattalley4330
      @mattalley4330 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Most people are so short-sighted that they, atleast when it comes to their deeds, dont care about our descendants. They will say otherwise, but actions speak louder than words. Those helping this happen are effectively raising a big middle finger to future generations. Sad but true.

    • @Zb_Calisthenic
      @Zb_Calisthenic ปีที่แล้ว +3

      "Blessed are those who plant trees under whose shade they will never sit"

  • @obstinatehammer7113
    @obstinatehammer7113 ปีที่แล้ว +101

    "Alfalfa farming represents 0.2% of the Utah economy but uses 68% of available water." The Salt Lake Tribune

    • @crIms0ngen
      @crIms0ngen ปีที่แล้ว +28

      That sounds like something that should just outright end immediately, full-stop.

    • @ozzyoz1495
      @ozzyoz1495 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      I know people people tend to distrust government often with good reason. However, I feel this is one of the most clear cut cases where private enterprise should not triumph over the public good. The residents of the great salt lake should collectively decide if growing alfalfa in an arid environment is good for them and a good use of their resources.

    • @windrider23
      @windrider23 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      And 29 percent of that alfalfa is grown for overseas export. 2/3 of which goes to China.

    • @feelinguru-vywiththepaingu9808
      @feelinguru-vywiththepaingu9808 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      ​@@windrider23 Therein lies a problem. Why does another country need our alfalfa? Is it solely to serve the 1% of our population?

    • @alanbourne2332
      @alanbourne2332 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@ozzyoz1495 could buy the water rights from the farmers and then put it in the Lake

  • @oquirrhlight
    @oquirrhlight ปีที่แล้ว +44

    The disconnect between neighborhood development/home building and water use is nothing short of blindness. They are building homes and apartment complexes like never before. Lawns and trees and golf courses and sanitary needs come with each of these homes. It amazes me how they continue to develop unchecked, like water is infinitely available. We can’t live without agriculture, that’s a waste of time to discuss. However, something needs to be done about the unprecedented development and housing growth in the second driest state in the Union. Politicizing this issue is a waste of energy. Whether you believe in global warming or not is a waste of energy. The fact is, our growth exceeded our resources many decades ago and yet we march on as if everything will always be ok.

    • @666size666
      @666size666 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      The GSL Strike Team just released their report and all other factors combined still don't even make up one third of the water usage from agriculture. Yes, developers are to blame but not even close to the blame agriculture....especially alfalfa farmers...are responsible for. Gov. Cox's deal with Texas Instruments is also foolish.

    • @TheBandit7613
      @TheBandit7613 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      68% of the water is diverted to grow alfalfa.
      It's not the lawns or toilet flushing.

    • @bearnuts
      @bearnuts ปีที่แล้ว +2

      You are so Spot On

    • @WildflowerAnn
      @WildflowerAnn ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@666size666 alfalfa is grown to feed those cows all of those people want to eat though isn’t it? There is always a direct correlation to agriculture and people.

    • @666size666
      @666size666 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@WildflowerAnn 50-60% of Utah's alfalfa is shipped to China. Growing animal feeds in another state that isn't an arid desert makes much more sense, however, as I do not eat cows, I view cows (at 1,847 gallons of water to produce a mere 1 pound of beef) also a waste of resources.

  • @pottergirl287
    @pottergirl287 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    The effects of Owens Lake drying up are incredible for that area of California. For SLC, that's going to be increased a hundred fold.

    • @vilstef6988
      @vilstef6988 ปีที่แล้ว

      In CA, there is also the drying up of Mono Lake and the Salton Sea. The dust from the dry lakebeds is a threat to human health!

    • @cadespencer6320
      @cadespencer6320 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@vilstef6988 Tulare Lake too!

  • @ramonnape
    @ramonnape ปีที่แล้ว +18

    breaks my heart💔im not in utah but i hope there becomes an ambitious plan to save this beautiful wonder of the world, and the citizens of slc!🧡

    • @cbpd89
      @cbpd89 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      In the short term, we have excellent snow pack and rain this winter, so the lake isn't shrinking this year! Long term, we'll see if the changes enacted are enough and we keep asking our government and our neighbors to do more!

  • @_A4A
    @_A4A ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Not sure why 2.5 Million people thought it would be wise to live in the desert and not think once about the cost of doing so!....

  • @bonlevina5621
    @bonlevina5621 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    "Lawns are so last century!"

  • @d.s.2519
    @d.s.2519 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Thank you for highlighting this crises to a national level.

  • @dylanlough5234
    @dylanlough5234 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This made me teary eyed.

  • @rhinman
    @rhinman ปีที่แล้ว +5

    This environmentalism by Utah politicians is a NEW THING. They allowed this for years. Now they're spending our tax dollars to correct their "choices" (they weren't mistakes). Of course they put the water conservation on the citizens.

  • @tribemayamex
    @tribemayamex ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Native americans lived in harmony with nature for 20000years. Usa is only few hundred years in power and land has been depleated of animals, plants, big trees and more. Sad to see it all gone

    • @blondie7240
      @blondie7240 ปีที่แล้ว

      yeah that's a bit racist and not true, native American tribes were just as in "harmony" with nature as European, African, or Asian tribes.

    • @thisguy73
      @thisguy73 ปีที่แล้ว

      Native Americans hate the GOP and love George Soros. Sad.

  • @AxelQC
    @AxelQC ปีที่แล้ว +6

    The Great Salt Lake is the canary in the coalmine for the US West. The loss of the lake is devastating, but it forebodes a massive drought in the Western 1/3 of the US due to climate change and excess human population there.

  • @edwardrosenthal1764
    @edwardrosenthal1764 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    wow, powerful story

  • @codycluff
    @codycluff ปีที่แล้ว +36

    I've lived in SLC my whole life, and while it is bad and we do need to take action, there is hope on the horizon. The lake has risen over a foot this year, and it's long before we see spring runoff. The snowpack that will feed the lake is also way above normal this year.

    • @feelinguru-vywiththepaingu9808
      @feelinguru-vywiththepaingu9808 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      It will take years of that.

    • @RileyStroud99
      @RileyStroud99 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      The problem is that because of the many many years of continued drought, the root systems of the plants in the Rockies tend to hold onto more water than is necessary. Just because we saw a larger amount of snow this year doesn’t necessarily mean that we will see a proportionate amount of runoff.

    • @Jane-ur4te
      @Jane-ur4te ปีที่แล้ว +5

      That spring run-off will come in and be gone fast.

    • @codycluff
      @codycluff ปีที่แล้ว +6

      It will definitely take more than one good year, but as they mentioned in the story, Utah has also enacted measures that will conserve many hundreds of acre-feet of water. We also had a wet fall, so the ground was well saturated prior to the buildup of the snowpack. There is still a long way to go, but ultimately I'm hopeful that the lake will not only survive, but thrive again in years to come.

    • @aqueen13
      @aqueen13 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I am so grateful for the heavy snowpack this year for our great salt lake… what do think of their idea to put in a pipeline from the ocean? Seems more logical than any other solution to me, since both are salt water

  • @kaylenemiller1804
    @kaylenemiller1804 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Stop building the thousands of apartment and condocomplexes. Stop moving here!

  • @joaminow6943
    @joaminow6943 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Since he was in high school population in the Salt Lake Basin has tripled. Lake is 1/3 the size. Hmmm. You do the math.

  • @lexicat6177
    @lexicat6177 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I lived there in the late 80's. That's really eye opening.

  • @poolhall9632
    @poolhall9632 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    Yes, that’s what happens when you live in the desert and use more water than the environment can provide…
    It’s almost like people shouldn’t live in the desert🤔

    • @ramonnape
      @ramonnape ปีที่แล้ว +6

      agreed, the feds shouldve always had a population limit or a population control in the southwest in general!

    • @feelinguru-vywiththepaingu9808
      @feelinguru-vywiththepaingu9808 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Living in the desert isn't the problem. Native Americans did for hundreds of years without an issue. The white man came to the desert and said, "Woohooo! We can golf here all year!" So they planted acres and acres of grass. It's when we put the burden on nature to provide what isn't natural to provide that's the problem.

    • @jfrankerickson8993
      @jfrankerickson8993 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@feelinguru-vywiththepaingu9808 Congratulations! you get the woke Hippie award for the first to blame the "white man". Way to stick with the zeitgeist.

    • @sicknado
      @sicknado ปีที่แล้ว

      OR....or....we stop global warming with the 10 billion people that live on this planet. (used to be 150 million for a very long time)

    • @dobbysboggart6883
      @dobbysboggart6883 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@ramonnape ... I hate Thanosism

  • @bingusbingus776
    @bingusbingus776 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    It's so sad to watch the world cry out for Help and see nothing done to stop it.Wake up before its way to late.

  • @jeffgold3091
    @jeffgold3091 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    when you look at the well meaning mistakes made in the past , it’s interesting to reflect on what mistakes are being made today that people will scratch their heads about 50 years from now

    • @Me97202
      @Me97202 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I think calling them well-meaning mistakes is naïve. These corporations and their government enablers have known about the problem for decades.

    • @rustyshackle917
      @rustyshackle917 ปีที่แล้ว

      Lead, asbestos, PFAs, coal, oil, plastics....
      Future generations will be aghast at what current generations see as "normal" and they'll be cleaning up the mess.

    • @andybaldman
      @andybaldman ปีที่แล้ว

      There won’t be anything in 50 years.

  • @jamestucker8088
    @jamestucker8088 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Two things would really help. First seal off the north west section of the lake by closing the holes in the rail road causeway. This will keep the water in the southern part of the lake. Then stop growing 1/2 acre of grass around every house and let the water flow into the lake. The water used inside houses doesn't cause a problem. It flows to a sewer treatment plant and then to the Great Salt Lake.

    • @takeiteasynacho
      @takeiteasynacho ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I live on the northern end and no do not close it off. Farming needs to use better watering practices than flood irrigation. That’s the most inefficient way to irrigate. Yard golf courses and public works still make a small percentage of total water diverted. It’s the irrigation that’s the main factor.

    • @guythatpaysforyourhandouts2478
      @guythatpaysforyourhandouts2478 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Or you could just realize it's not sustainable that's why it's a SALT LAKE.

    • @GhostRyder2008
      @GhostRyder2008 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@guythatpaysforyourhandouts2478 It's a salty lake because it has no outlet. It was salty before humans started settling in the area and using the water that would flow to it.

    • @guythatpaysforyourhandouts2478
      @guythatpaysforyourhandouts2478 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@GhostRyder2008Thanks for proving my point a salt lake is not sustainable.

    • @GhostRyder2008
      @GhostRyder2008 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@guythatpaysforyourhandouts2478 not sure what your definition of sustaining a salt lake means then

  • @tracelucas8083
    @tracelucas8083 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Unbelievable. Very very very sad !!! :(

  • @honestlynate7922
    @honestlynate7922 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    On the plus side, if you're an out-of-stater, boat prices are outstanding

    • @zbaby82
      @zbaby82 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      But you would have to put wheels on them to get around.

    • @groob33
      @groob33 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@zbaby82, yeah... that's called a Trailer.

    • @yasminhelenendangeredspecies
      @yasminhelenendangeredspecies ปีที่แล้ว

      That's truly sad. Those past pictures of all the sailboats on the water is what the Lake should get back to. I hope they can! I wouldn't sell if those were my boats.

  • @barnbuild27
    @barnbuild27 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    It’s interesting that people in 1983 were worried that flooding along the Wasatch Front was going to pour so much fresh water into the Great Salt Lake that the salt water would be diluted and the ecosystem would be destroyed.

    • @oleggorky906
      @oleggorky906 ปีที่แล้ว

      I read about that in Lonely Planet, of all things.

    • @GilmerJohn
      @GilmerJohn ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Exactly. These silly alarmists nuts always are looking to micromanage everything.
      The reality is that most surface (and deep well) water is used for growing crops. Perhaps it's time to impose a modest tax on agriculture water use. If you goal is to maintain the lake level, the tax rate would vary with the lake level. The farmers would have amble warning of what their water costs would be in the coming year.

    • @HobbyOrganist
      @HobbyOrganist ปีที่แล้ว +1

      All of these features are temporary anyway, lakes dry up, rivers dry up, rivers change course, forests die off, the landscape is always changing

  • @danbilyeu6678
    @danbilyeu6678 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Yay! Lee is hosting!!!! Great show!!!!

  • @linguaphile42
    @linguaphile42 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Step one: quit watering lawns.

    • @darksu6947
      @darksu6947 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Step two: Stop living in the desert. It's stupid and shortsighted.

    • @mattalley4330
      @mattalley4330 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Actually, things like lawns and golf courses use a small fraction of the water. Its inefficient use of water on farms more than anything that is causing this, although climate change is a close second. I agree with darksu. The desert southwest/great basin region is a house of cards that could collapse very soon.

    • @blueshattrick
      @blueshattrick ปีที่แล้ว

      Sure.. but 70% of the water goes to agriculture

    • @linguaphile42
      @linguaphile42 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@blueshattrick So what is your Step Two?

    • @jamesmcintyre4243
      @jamesmcintyre4243 ปีที่แล้ว

      LOL nahhh

  • @adamwallace8082
    @adamwallace8082 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    Hey Mitt, if you really want to fix the Great Salt Lake issue... 1. Change the water use, and water rights for the Great Salt Lake watershed. 2. TAX, TAX, TAX! Corporations! such as Exxon Mobil, and others that are directly responsible for causing climate change, and using the tax revenue to fix the problem! Stop letting the organizations causing the problems off the hook!

    • @feelinguru-vywiththepaingu9808
      @feelinguru-vywiththepaingu9808 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yes!

    • @jfrankerickson8993
      @jfrankerickson8993 ปีที่แล้ว

      Interesting. You realize those "evil corporations" are providing a product in demand. Taxing corporations is passed directly onto the consumer. To believe otherwise is idiotic.

    • @MrMatteNWk
      @MrMatteNWk ปีที่แล้ว

      But corporations are people, my friend.

    • @thisguy73
      @thisguy73 ปีที่แล้ว

      CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE BABY!

    • @MijoShrek
      @MijoShrek ปีที่แล้ว

      @@MrMatteNWk not when it comes to their tax filings and abiding by laws and regulations that the average American does. They simply have the ability to lobby their interest with funding. The corporations interest is in opposition to the best interest of people that would ask for protections against being exploited by a corporate entity. As can be shown through the productivity of workers has increased over time decade after decade. While wages have remain stagnate as CEO salaries increased exponentially. This is just part of the m an example of being the systems being beholden to corporations over the good and will of the people.

  • @Jakestar105
    @Jakestar105 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I remember driving from Monterey Ca thru the great salt lake basin (I-80) in 1985. It was early evening maybe? hazy dusty and there were a bunch of road workers all wearing, what looked like to me space suits, holding pennants and things. A pretty bizarre sight as I headed for Salt Lake City to find a hotel for the night.

  • @AdamCarsonX
    @AdamCarsonX ปีที่แล้ว

    Very well done, and nicely presented with real feeling. I hope this helps aid real change.

  • @smallfootprint2961
    @smallfootprint2961 ปีที่แล้ว

    I remember bobbing on the surface of the lake as we took a little swim in it during a camping trip through the area back in my young mom days. I'm old now, and see that the lake is too. I can accept things changing though time, but don't understand the competition for the greenest lawn, which is furthering the demise of all our water ways. Can't we all agree to stop watering lawns. There's so many no maintenance yard designs nowadays. So many people believe the higher ups who say that there's no changes that we people could affect, but I believe that is one that's pretty clear, we can do something about.

  • @watermaster2197
    @watermaster2197 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The solution is simple: (1) the Legislature needs to buy and lease a really big amount of water from farmers and ranchers; (2) keep it in the streams; and, (3) make sure it reaches the lake and isn't used to build more subdivisions. None of that is easy, mind you, just simple.

    • @matthew3136
      @matthew3136 ปีที่แล้ว

      Not buy and lease. Cancel.

    • @watermaster2197
      @watermaster2197 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@matthew3136 Just a tiny Fifth Amendment issue with that.

  • @karanbirsingh2615
    @karanbirsingh2615 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great coverage 👏👍

  • @mikekarlin7452
    @mikekarlin7452 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Pump water from the ocean itll work!! Maybe even help with rising ocean levels

    • @Jane-ur4te
      @Jane-ur4te ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They looked into that and it would cost trillions to pump that much water across the sirerra mountains.

  • @deannamadrigal7503
    @deannamadrigal7503 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I just recently flew into SLC Utah for thr first time in January. I could not believe how much smog there was. NO One these days needs to have lawns. It's a huge waste of water. Wake up people

  • @kjorlaug1
    @kjorlaug1 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    We we focus on agriculture in regions with basically no rain amazes me

  • @Bennytree
    @Bennytree ปีที่แล้ว

    We got our Engagement pictures done there during sunset. It is beautiful. Fingers crossed we can do what it takes to keep it wonderful.

  • @daveyboygee
    @daveyboygee 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Sad story but some of the best reporting I've seen on CBS in years. Excellent piece. I will be showing this to my 5th grade class.

  • @jjj1951
    @jjj1951 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Growing lawns in the desert. Ludricous

    • @TheBandit7613
      @TheBandit7613 ปีที่แล้ว

      It's not the lawns, it's mostly alfalfa. 68% of the water is diverted to grow alfalfa.

  • @mpetersen6
    @mpetersen6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    The dry lakes in other locations in the Southwest have disappeared. The large lakes from the Ice Age disappeared. The Great Salt Lake is but a remnant of the the Ice Age Lake Bonneville. It is my understanding that the lake has been slowly shrinking for decades.

    • @brandonperkins2447
      @brandonperkins2447 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      The entire Jordan river used to flow into the great salt lake. Lake effect snow from the salt lake would blanket the Wasatch mountains and the Jordan River would carry water to the salt lake and replenish it. Water no longer replenishes the Salt Lake, the cycle is broken and thus it’s drying up at an incredible rate. The great salt lake was not shrinking before sapiens started diverting water. Lake Bonneville had an erosion brake in the lava dam, it was the 2nd largest flood in North America.

    • @kellharris2491
      @kellharris2491 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Much of this is recent.

    • @cbpd89
      @cbpd89 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      All of this has happened in the last 30 years. A process like this should have taken a thousand or more if it were natural.

    • @josephmayfield945
      @josephmayfield945 ปีที่แล้ว

      😂😂😂 sure Jan.

  • @Mango_B
    @Mango_B ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I've been saying for years, why do we not have a WATER grid? We have an electrical grid. We have a transportation grid (interstates). We have grids within our cities, but the grids are NOT interconnected. Install a grid to transport water from places that have enough to places that are in need. Have a series of reservoirs interconnected. Yes, the cost will be high, but water is too precious of a resource going forward.

    • @gregghoshovsky6665
      @gregghoshovsky6665 ปีที่แล้ว

      Your state's bad planning is not a reason to let you suck my state's water resources dry. Y'all think your so independent, self made men who have no need of the Feds. Red states want divorce from the blue states...Well boys and girls figure it out for yourselves without Federal help. Besides I'm sure "it will dry up in 5 years" is just a WOKE scare tactic.

    • @Mango_B
      @Mango_B ปีที่แล้ว

      @@gregghoshovsky6665 my state, Virginia, plans well. No problems here. But when the majority of our produce is grown in the West, then the Feds need to jump in. I don't want bloated government, but that's probably the only way it gets done.

  • @rustyrolla5432
    @rustyrolla5432 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    With all the snow we've gotten this year hopefully it might do some good. Everyone needs to quit moving here so our lakes and reservoirs don't get used as fast

  • @captainnima
    @captainnima ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The simple solution is to build pipes from East to West to carry our excess water but that makes too much sense.

  • @billysunday7507
    @billysunday7507 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Standing out in that area you wouldn't even think about breathing in pollution.

  • @marclegarreta3359
    @marclegarreta3359 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Heartbreaking!

  • @alvarofortunatosamayoa8640
    @alvarofortunatosamayoa8640 ปีที่แล้ว

    😢great segment.

  • @steveconn
    @steveconn ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Sad to see though terrible rotten eggs smell when wind blew off it (remember from SLC airport in 03, Dennis Quaid on a payphone, interesting day).

  • @beexiong1105
    @beexiong1105 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    When I moved here to SLC back in 1998 the lake still play a major role in Utah’s weather pattern. The snow in the valley and up in the mountains were beautiful. Above in the sky as the planes circling, ready to land you can see all these rings of colors in it. The islands in the lake were cut off and are actual islands. It was beautiful! Now it’s just sad to drive by it. It looks as though the Lake is crying for help. Talk about a heart break. Some people here don’t even care, especially those that does not believe in climate change or global warming. It’s so sad.

    • @powerband5235
      @powerband5235 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Climate change is made up.

  • @elizabethpowers7540
    @elizabethpowers7540 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    5 years?! Holy crap! I've never been there, but anyone with a lick of sense should be able to understand what a serious problem that is. I sincerely hope that people can buck their usual self-absorbed tendencies and do what needs to be done to avert this catastrophe. Unfortunately, selflessness is all too rare a commodity in this society, but it is not unprecedented. There have been moments in our history where people have managed to overcome their individual petty concerns and do what needed to be done for the good of all. For those of us who do not live there, let us hope this is the case and attempt to find ways to support necessary action. For those who do live there, it's up to you - not some ambiguous entity you identify as controlling things - YOU, every individual who lives and uses water and votes there. You all have impact - it's up to you what you do with it.

    • @blondie7240
      @blondie7240 ปีที่แล้ว

      its Tragedy of the Commons, even though a majority of people made changes years ago a small group of people are make more money with the unused water. People in Utah have been cutting back on water use for decades, but the water just gets used by the few who don't care.

  • @dianethulin1700
    @dianethulin1700 ปีที่แล้ว

    My family founded Davis County and I have seen this as recently as last year. I’m very worried

  • @nearkolob
    @nearkolob ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I wonder why they didn't mention that the levels are rising faster than normal this year? And that one good snowpack can erase half of what the decades long drought caused. This means that 2 good snow years could bring the lake back to its average depth. Looks like more climate change grift to me.

    • @elliotoakley4664
      @elliotoakley4664 ปีที่แล้ว

      100% couldn't agree any better. You also gotta love how all those whining liberals in California were whining about drought and now complaining about too much rain. WOW... look at all your global warming in action.

  • @misswildlife7905
    @misswildlife7905 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    If the contamination is so very bad where they were, why wasn't anyone wearing protection from breathing in the arsenic?

    • @docwatson1134
      @docwatson1134 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The wind wasn't blowing hard enough. The soil often has a crust that keeps it intact, during a major wind event that crust layer is ripped off exposing loose soil underneath. The loose soil becomes windblown, and will easily become windblown again during future windstorms. Once the process starts it will quickly escalate.
      The arsenic is relatively speaking not as dangerous as long as the soil stays intact. But toxic effects are cumulative over time, as it becomes airborne and blows into populated areas.

  • @rlbrown1009
    @rlbrown1009 ปีที่แล้ว

    Terribly sad 😪 we had lots of rain & snow this year.

  • @sharonannen8859
    @sharonannen8859 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    *
    Wow!
    Yes, I lived there during the 1980s when the weather was wet, when we built the State Street Bridge, when the Great Salt Lake, Jordan River, Utah Lake were rising, lapping the Interstate freeway. The smell of the brine flies filled the Summer air.
    *

    • @steveschultz7227
      @steveschultz7227 ปีที่แล้ว

      And it will get wet again. And then we'll all be freaking out about some other supposed catastrophe.

  • @seanohelan8241
    @seanohelan8241 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Heartbreaking and it's all our fault!

    • @lcprivatepilot1969
      @lcprivatepilot1969 ปีที่แล้ว

      Maybe yours

    • @mattalley4330
      @mattalley4330 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@lcprivatepilot1969 Who is to blame? Nobody. Everybody. God. At a certain point the blame gets spread out so much that asking "whose fault is it" is rather pointless. There are steps that need to be taken that can help but will people be willing to do it? Probably not.

  • @EVtripper
    @EVtripper ปีที่แล้ว

    This made me cry

  • @rr7firefly
    @rr7firefly ปีที่แล้ว +31

    Human beings destroying the world around them. We are known to make big mistakes, and fortunately there are still responsible people in power to reverse that trend. Hats off to Senator Romney.

    • @mrtruth1748
      @mrtruth1748 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      For? Thinking he's better than you.

    • @yasminhelenendangeredspecies
      @yasminhelenendangeredspecies ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I really hope Mitt Romney and the Utah people can come up with a solution. This is a terrible thing to happen. I feel very sad about this for Utah.
      They need solutions before it's too late. Go Mitt! 💖🙏🇺🇸 ~

    • @sicknado
      @sicknado ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@mrtruth1748 You're everything thats wrong with the world wrapped up into one.

    • @alanbourne2332
      @alanbourne2332 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@yasminhelenendangeredspecies don’t expect Mitt to do anything unless he personally profits from it

    • @mrtruth1748
      @mrtruth1748 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@sicknado??? For understand the elites and the agenda?

  • @user-ib9mh1vt7c
    @user-ib9mh1vt7c 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I live in Utah working on my degree. All I can think is I hope I get out soon enough. Salt Lake already has literally the most polluted air in the entire world some days during the winter because it gets trapped between the mountains with cold air over the top holding it in (called an inversion). To have both summer and winter be toxic is really bad.

  • @moiznicees
    @moiznicees ปีที่แล้ว +1

    How much longer will lake Mead in Las Vegas be around before it disappear

    • @TheBandit7613
      @TheBandit7613 ปีที่แล้ว

      The level of Lake Mead is 100% adjustable. It's whatever the water dept wants it to be. The lake level is artificial, means nothing.

  • @seththomas9105
    @seththomas9105 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The explosive population growth from the Front Range thru the Intermountain West to the Coast since 1980 has had a extreme affect on the water supply for the whole region. My dad was saying it years ago that there was not enough water in the West, nevermind the Mega-drought of the last 30 years, for all the damn people.

  • @geomodelrailroader
    @geomodelrailroader ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Sad to see Salt Lake like this. We need to act now and cut water use or in 5 years there will be no Salt Lake it will be reclaimed by the desert and everything will die. We need Salt lake to heal and people need to stop wasting water.

  • @Ezoangelofdeath
    @Ezoangelofdeath ปีที่แล้ว

    I would like to know how much this has effected Willard Bay??

  • @spockspock
    @spockspock ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The Great Basin has numerous wetlands turned artifacts. The hubris of humanity is completely disregarded by natural forces.

  • @jamesferrin5415
    @jamesferrin5415 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    1 year revisit. Instead of drying out, today the lake is 5.3' deeper, because GSL is into its 2nd year in a row of growth. 2023 had a 3.5' year over year growth. We are expecting a similar year of growth 2024.

  • @clarestucki5151
    @clarestucki5151 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Actually, there was a time lomg ago when the great salt lake filled the entire great basin! Evidently it's been shrinking a helluva lot longer that what these guys are saying.

    • @mattalley4330
      @mattalley4330 ปีที่แล้ว

      Agreed, but the rate of shrinkage took off like a rocket though when people started diverting most of the waters coming into the lake from rivers to irrigate farms.

  • @ExpeditionNomadicAdventures
    @ExpeditionNomadicAdventures ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Salt Lakes Natural or unnatural impacts within a human life gives reason to consider the human impact. The question becomes, DO WE CHANGE?

  • @TheWolfHowling
    @TheWolfHowling ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The Great Salt lake could be America’s Aral Sea, its waters was also diverted for “better human uses”, growing Cotton

  • @schmoab
    @schmoab ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Destruction of Owens Lake was a choice not a mistake. Now Utah has a choice of what to do with their water. They haven’t been the most efficient state in the West.

  • @rockya2409
    @rockya2409 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Got a love that 1985 reference when it was as high as it has ever been. Oh and mitt Romney? Ok click.

  • @dantecarpino7500
    @dantecarpino7500 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Be cool to see 60 minutes do a program on the lake!

  • @ulaana
    @ulaana ปีที่แล้ว

    *edit* the GSL is fine. It's up nearly 5 feet already from the epic snowpack we had this winter. And it'll probably rise another 3-5 feet in the next months. It's all good

  • @dirtydinner6463
    @dirtydinner6463 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    This is the reason why I will be moving out of this state. We have already seen dust storms from the lake this last summer, and will I get cancer before I turn 30…. who knows, but I’m not going to expose myself much longer or even think about building a family in a place with this kind of catastrophic issue. That would be purely irresponsible.

    • @MiketheBassMan
      @MiketheBassMan ปีที่แล้ว

      Nobody wants to hear it, but the simple truth is there are too many people in the desert and it’s unsustainable. You’re wise to leave while it’s relatively easy.

    • @mattalley4330
      @mattalley4330 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@MiketheBassMan Agreed. Overpopulation is the elephant in the room that nobody can avoid but at the same time nobody wants to talk about.

    • @glidewillie5767
      @glidewillie5767 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@MiketheBassManSLC is more of a sub-humid climate than desert

    • @jamesmcintyre4243
      @jamesmcintyre4243 ปีที่แล้ว

      K bye LMAO we're full anyways.

    • @dirtydinner6463
      @dirtydinner6463 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@jamesmcintyre4243 You won’t have that problem for much longer. Nobody is going to want to live here within the next 10 years

  • @usmcsaxoki
    @usmcsaxoki ปีที่แล้ว

    Depressing.

  • @stevenrobertson4470
    @stevenrobertson4470 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Has anyone ever heard of the Bonneville Salt Flats? It is an area that dries out and is flooded on a regular basis and used for setting motor vehicle land speed records. Would you not have the same heavy metals and toxic substances there that you would have if the lake dried up? If the drying lake is so bad, why do people still live and work in Wendover, Utah/Nevada? If this is a real danger, shouldn't the citizens of Wendover all be dead from toxic dust clouds? I believe there is a lot of fear mongering going on by snake-oil salesmen like Mitt Romney and others seeking power and gain by fleecing taxpayers. I live in Utah and I'm sure there is a financial loss to businesses, but let's not allow ourselves to be stampeded into outrageous "solutions."

    • @JohnnyAngel8
      @JohnnyAngel8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yes, the Bonneville Salt Flats have toxic substances in the soil, too ... including arsenic. That flats are not inhabited but government property which can be visited. There is no overnight camping allowed. Vehicle racing activity is not done on a daily basis. I imagine it is not good for one's health.

    • @sherriianiro747
      @sherriianiro747 ปีที่แล้ว

      Unfortunately cancer is an insidious disease as you know, and toxic exposure can be dormant for years until something sets it off.
      Look at what happened to asbestos workers, 911 rescue teams, etc. Nothing good is going to come out of the Great Salt Lake dying.

  • @jacobjames1171
    @jacobjames1171 ปีที่แล้ว

    2:14 I thought he would have said it sooner.

  • @GamerplayerWT
    @GamerplayerWT ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Preparing the way for the great sandworms - Shai-Hulud

  • @timothybuck2396
    @timothybuck2396 ปีที่แล้ว

    Did all the rain and snow out west this winter help? Or did it mainly just reach California?

    • @steveschultz7227
      @steveschultz7227 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Uhh, you could say that. Record (so far) snowfall in the Wasatch Mountains, much of that will end up in the GSL. The lake will likely rise 2-3 feet this year, which in a shallow lake like this, is a lot. This is the latest thing we're supposed to freak out about. The drought will end and the lake will come back.

  • @GilmerJohn
    @GilmerJohn ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Gad! When Romney on your side of case yous should start doing some hard thinking.
    In the mid 80s, the Great Salt Lake was rising to the point where roads had to be raised to keep from being flooded out. The water level has changed drastically (both ways) in the memory of those still living and will change again. The "salt flats" demonstrate that the lake was once much, Much, MUCH higher. So what?
    And even Romney should know is the the major consumer of surface water is agriculture. If you want to reduce water consumption, just place a modest tax on agriculture water. SInce "Ag Water" is measured in the acre foot, the equivalent of a few cents per day for domestic consumption translates to BIG buck$ for the farmers. The farmers can make plans to consider which crops to farm rather than using their entire water allocation.

  • @davidalanjonesridge9874
    @davidalanjonesridge9874 ปีที่แล้ว

    Depending on the amount of yearly snow accumulation and runoff, and how much reservoirs hold that back the Ogden and Weber rivers, and other tributaries should offer a continuous supply

    • @mattalley4330
      @mattalley4330 ปีที่แล้ว

      I mean no offense, but did you watch the whole video? They plainly state that the majority of water that would otherwise enter the lake is being diverted to irrigate farms. This is the main culprit, regardless of factors like snowpack.

    • @davidalanjonesridge9874
      @davidalanjonesridge9874 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@mattalley4330 Yes I did view the whole video, and thanks for the reminder but my comment was made in one of the rare times I am positive. I am 76 and I still consider Ogden as my home town but I reside currently in Omaha. About the water, Nebraska and Colorado are having the same argument. I had seen and heard in the local news how the run off was ran down the SLC main street, so it was nice to that clip. Some years back I Googled Saltair, sad to see it closed and water logged. Does UP and I-80 still run run across that lake?

  • @norml.hugh-mann
    @norml.hugh-mann ปีที่แล้ว

    Still waiting for solutions

  • @TR-nw8hz
    @TR-nw8hz ปีที่แล้ว

    We can only hope

  • @squid1712
    @squid1712 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    INB4 the lake drying out is intentionally accelerated in the name of mineral extraction under the lakebed, leading to huge pollution and the death of the whole valley.

  • @bryandahlberg1956
    @bryandahlberg1956 ปีที่แล้ว

    Unpopular opinion here, sorry... I live along the wasatch front, so this concerns me but: We are diverting fresh water into a salt lake. Once that water goes into the lake, it cannot be used for anything else than containing the dust, right? Isn't our precious freh water better used for human consumption purposes? I'd like to see the soil test for the land to the south which was also under the salt lake at some time in the past. Could it be that this is a natural process we are interupting by diversion? Maybe it's time we get some new real estate here in Utah and use that land for something else? Feel free to poke holes in this theory...

  • @zbaby82
    @zbaby82 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Stop agriculture from using the water. Problem solved. And this wouldn't cost billions of dollars.

  • @erichvonmolder9310
    @erichvonmolder9310 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Too bad it will disappear, but it can expose dangerous elements like arsenic that have been buried under the water for millions of years.

  • @sicknado
    @sicknado ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Hopefully it will. To teach us a lesson while we still have the time

  • @adriaanboogaard8571
    @adriaanboogaard8571 ปีที่แล้ว

    We also have two more Dams upstream since the 1980's. Jordan L and Little Dell both large capacity and more Houses than Farms it used to be 70% plus Agraculture in the 1970's and 80's. Look at the saroundings of the Great Salt Lake Jordan River Utah lake today on Google. Glad you care enough to bring up public awareness. Keep trying.I have 28 years in the local water system but what I've done on the Jordan River in Utah was my own time

  • @ronduff4325
    @ronduff4325 ปีที่แล้ว

    Sad

  • @ln14517
    @ln14517 ปีที่แล้ว

    I've never seen the lake and may never get a chance to see it unless something is done to preserve it for future generations.

  • @laskey2175
    @laskey2175 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    If only we knew of a place on this planet to get salt water.

  • @mattalley4330
    @mattalley4330 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Will it die? Probably. With so much of the water in flows being diverted to agriculture... what happens if they greatly reduce the amount diverted? Food prices shooting up and a bunch of farmers out of business? I guess my point is that its a complicated problem, people stubbornly resist needed big changes, and no one simplistic answer will do. Meanwhile, the Great Salt Lake will probably vanish and there will be serious consequences for the area when all of the pollution that went into that body of water becomes dust clouds that get blown onto the growing urban areas.