It was with great disappointment that I learned that Sen. Nate Blouin’s proposal to establish a target minimum of 4,198 feet for the Great Salt Lake (SCR 6) was not endorsed by the Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee. This was the first substantive approach I thought could really work. There are other good bills which have been proposed, such as replacing turf along the Wasatch, encouraging farmers to assess their crops and infrastructure with a view to drought conditions along with payments to reimburse those who increase water efficiency. The water conservancies can help a lot by changing the manner in which water is priced and delivered, and much of the Utah population has shown a willingness to conserve water.
All of the above good plans taken together cannot save the Great Salt Lake if Utah legislators and other government officials don’t target a minimal level for the lake. If the state of Utah continues to eye massive diversions along the Bear River, and plan for giant warehouses and transfer facilities in areas along the lake (think about the proposed development in Erda adjacent to productive wetlands and the not-state-of-the art warehouses already built along the lake), all of these good conservation plans will be for naught.
So why is Utah continuing to focus on foolish water projects such as cutting down trees in the Wasatch (which will ultimately harm the lake and the people and wildlife who live nearby) while ignoring more substantive measures? Ultimately, the pursuit of immediate quick and dirty development will lead to economic decline.
The oligarchy (a power structure made up of a small group of people who run a particular country or organization) which exists in Utah seems to have taken the reins of government. A few groups and individuals will make money in the short term and escape to other places, leaving the Great Salt Lake a dead zone for those financially unable to leave. This has been done before by the Russians (just google Aral Sea). Utah deserves better.
Jan Ellen Burton, Salt Lake City
Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible