Utah Tool Shows How Saving Great Salt Lake Clears Air

Imagine being able to see, with a simple click, how saving a dying lake could help millions breathe easier.

That's exactly what scientists at the University of Utah just made possible. Researchers Derek Mallia and Kevin Perry launched a free interactive tool that shows how Great Salt Lake's water levels directly affect dust exposure in communities across northern Utah.

The web-based tool lets anyone adjust the lake's water levels up or down and watch what happens. As levels drop, more toxic lakebed gets exposed, sending more dust into nearby neighborhoods during windstorms. Raise those levels back up, and dust hotspots disappear underwater where they belong.

"When lake levels are low, more dust comes off the lakebed," Perry explained. "When lake levels are higher, many dust hotspots are submerged and no longer produce dust."

The tool tracks dangerous PM2.5 particles, the tiny dust that gets deep into lungs and causes serious health problems. It also shows dust coming from other dried-up lakes in the region like Sevier Lake and West Desert, giving people the complete picture of where their bad air days come from.

Right now, the map uses spring 2022 data, but an update with five additional years of information is coming soon. That expanded data confirms the 2022 sample wasn't a one-time problem but part of a troubling pattern.

The Bright Side

This tool does something remarkable. It transforms complex atmospheric science into something anyone can understand and use. Policymakers can see exactly which communities face the worst exposure. Residents can understand why conservation matters for their family's health, not just the environment.

Laura Vernon from Utah's Division of Water Resources said the tool helps officials understand exactly when and how dust sources impact air quality. That kind of specific information makes it possible to target solutions where they'll do the most good.

The Great Salt Lake Strike Team recently determined that delivering more water to the lake costs less than managing the health impacts of letting it stay low forever. This new tool gives everyone the evidence to see why.

John Lin, scientific director of the Wilkes Center hosting the tool, emphasized that cutting-edge research is now in the hands of regular people making decisions about their future. The team plans to keep updating the tool as more data becomes available, making it even more useful over time.

Communities across Utah now have a clear window into their environmental future, one they can actually help shape.