The Great Salt Lake Is Still on Life Support

The situation report for the Great Salt Lake is still quite concerning.  Although it is true that the south arm of the Great Salt Lake rose just over 5 feet during the spring runoff, the reality is that this was accomplished due to a remarkably anomalous heavy snow season combined with plumbing the rock causeway that divides the lake to keep most of the inflow in the south arm.  

Below is the landsat satellite image for the 29th of August 2022 (i.e., last summer) when the lake elevation was about 4189.3 feet and approaching its record low that fall.  Considerable lake bed is exposed all around the lake, including along the east side in the Bear River and Farmington Bays. 

Source: https://glovis.usgs.gov/app

Shift to this year and there is some greater coverage in the Bear River Bay and near Antelope Island, but extensive exposed playa remains and there has been little discernible change in the coverage of the North Arm, at least with a quick glance at these images (more on this in a minute). 

Lake elevation measured at Saltair on the south shoreline shows a substantial increase from the historical minimum just below 4189 feet last fall to about 4194 feet in June.  Since then, the lake level has declined about a foot and a half to 4192.5 feet today.  

Source: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/

A fall minimum just below 4192 feet seems likely.  Keep in mind that until this latest low stand, the historical record low elevation was 4191.35 feet in 1963.  Basically, we are now just a bit over a foot above that.  

The Great Salt Lake is divided in half by a rock-fill causeway that limits the flow of water between the two halves.  Due to efforts to restrict flow between the two halves and raise water levels in the south arm, the spring recovery there was more limited.  In fact, water levels there peaked out about a foot below the prior year, although the decline this year has been less abrupt and it currently sits at 4189 feet, just a bit above last summer.  

Source: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/

So, if you need another reason to root for another big snow season, this is it.  The Great Salt Lake is still on life support.