‘Celebrating small wins’: Great Salt Lake rises a foot since historic low
Rick Bowmer, Associated Press
The Great Salt Lake recedes from Anthelope Island on May 4, 2021, near Salt Lake City.
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- The Great Salt Lake recedes from Anthelope Island on May 4, 2021, near Salt Lake City.
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- Great Salt Lake Collaborative
SALT LAKE CITY — From the depths of Utah’s brutal drought comes a small win for the beloved Great Salt Lake.
Thanks to an impressive winter water season which has seen plenty of snow and rain, officials say the lake has risen a foot since its historic low that was reached in early Nov. 2022.
While the lake usually rises about two feet during the winter due to normal precipitation, it hadn’t risen over a foot in that same period over the last two years, meaning this year’s rise is something to cheer.
“To have it already have gone up as much as it did last year, and we’re not done with the winter season yet, again, that’s good news,” said Laura Haskell, Drought Coordinator with Utah’s Division of Water Resources.
Great Salt Lake Collaborative
A tweet from the Utah Department of Natural Resources calling the rise “good news” was retweeted by Gov. Spencer Cox.
“As we continue to work on finding solutions to bring more water to Great Salt Lake, we’re happy to see this small rise in lake level & are looking forward to spring runoff!” the Utah Division of Water Resources tweeted.
The news follows last week’s announcement that no part of the state is currently under Exceptional Drought status, although the majority of Utah is still facing Severe Drought conditions.