One Of The Best Things About Utah Is Going To Disappear in 5 Years

Whether or not you believe in taking drastic measures to save our planet, one thing is for sure - a gem in Utah is in danger of disappearing in the next five years.

Emergency measures are needed to rescue a national treasure

A report released this year from the College of Life Sciences at BYU titled Emergency Measures Needed to Rescue Great Salt Lake from Ongoing Collapse details an alarming situation in Utah.

According to this report, the Great Salt Lake is 19 feet below its average natural level for the first time since 1850 and has continued to drop yearly since 2020.

Check out this insane before and after comparison that we found from the U.S. Geological Survey. This first photo of the lake was taken in 1986:

This next photo of the Great Salt Lake was taken in 2022:

Experts believe that the cause of the lake drying up at a rapid pace is directly related to excessive water use. Unfortunately, it would take a massive and united effort to conserve enough water to get the lake back to normal levels.

This is a big deal because the Great Salt Lake is not only a habitat for over 10 million birds, but the report from BYU says that the lake provides "$2.5 billion in direct economic activity yearly."

"A Great Toxic Dustbowl"

It's not just the economy that would take a hit. The Great Salt Lake drying up would poison the lungs of two and a half million people due to toxins like "mercury, arsenic, and selenium."

This process occurs when the lake dries up, leaving the bed of the lake muddy before drying up and turning into dust. Experts say that this dust contains the aforementioned toxins and would pollute the air that those two and a half million people breathe in.

Just imagine what would happen if a duststorm took place and carried those toxins to other areas around the state... or even into Idaho.

Hopefully, the residents of Utah can come together and take action to preserve this national treasure... otherwise, we'll be having a much different conversation in five years.