Utah could find itself on the hook for billions of dollars in mediation costs if water levels in the Great Salt Lake continue to plunge, as toxic dust from the dry lake bed — tainted with heavy metals, PFAS and even radionuclides — threatens the surrounding population, a new analysis finds.
The report published Wednesday by Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment and the Utah Rivers Council’s Great Salt Lake Waterkeeper, looks at the potential health and economic impacts if the nation’s largest saltwater lake continues to shrink.
“Utah is really decades behind other states in implementing a sustainable water policy,” said Zach Frankel, executive director of the Utah Rivers Council.
The analysis draws from nearly 600 existing studies and research papers to estimate the long-term costs for tamping down dust storms that can be kicked up by even modest winds on the dry lake bed.
