Toxic Dust and Economic Collapse: The Real Cost of losing the Great Salt Lake

June 25, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Great Salt Lake has lost two-thirds of its water volume and over half its surface area. It is 15 feet lower than its natural level. As Ben Abbott, a BYU ecologist, puts it: "The lake is mostly gone." Flying over the Salt Lake Valley, he says, "it is gone. It's just not there." Yet because the lake is low-lying, the decline is largely invisible from the ground. "If half of the mountain was gone, everybody would notice right away," Abbott explains. The lake, when full, is the size of Delaware.

Why the Lake Is Disappearing

The primary cause is not drought or climate change. According to Abbott and Josh Romney, co-founder of Great Salt Lake Rising, 80% of the decline is due to excessive outdoor water use—watering lawns and irrigating crops. Indoor water use is negligible. The problem is compounded by the fact that Utahns tend to overwater lawns by about 50%. Romney notes that simply adjusting sprinkler systems to water only what the lawn needs could save upwards of 200,000 acre-feet of water annually.

Agriculture also plays a major role, particularly alfalfa, a water-intensive crop. But both guests stress that the solution requires action from both residential and agricultural users. "The farming agricultural community couldn't save it alone and residential can't save it alone," Romney says. "Both sides need to make huge changes."

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **The Dystopian Scenario and the Guests** - The episode opens with a stark hypothetical: the Great Salt Lake has dried up, unleashing toxic dust and economic collapse. Host introduces guests Josh Romney (Great Salt Lake Rising) and Ben Abbott (Grow the Flow / BYU).
2 (01:50) **The Lake's Current Condition: "Mostly Gone"** - The guests paint a dire picture of the lake's physical state, citing a *Science* article calling it a "ticking environmental nuclear bomb."
3 (03:13) **The Drought Myth and the "Math" of the Crisis** - The guests clarify that the lake's decline is not primarily due to drought, but to human water use, and explain why natural recovery is impossible on a human timescale.
4 (04:41) **A Global Precedent of Failure** - The conversation expands to the worldwide collapse of saline lakes, noting there is no successful restoration model to follow.
5 (05:53) **The Root Cause: Outdoor Water Use** - The guests identify the primary driver of the crisis: excessive outdoor water consumption, not indoor use.
6 (07:06) **The Agriculture vs. Residential Blame Game** - The discussion tackles the tension between agricultural and residential water use, arguing both must change.
7 (08:06) **Public Awareness and the "Blessing in Disguise"** - The guests assess the public's understanding of the crisis, noting a recent dip in attention after a wet winter.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

The Great Salt Lake is disappearing. With two-thirds of its water gone and more than half of its area desiccated, experts warn that Utah is sitting on an environmental time bomb. In this episode of "Deseret Voices," host Jane Clayson Johnson sits down with two leading figures at the forefront of the restoration movement to discuss the stark reality of the lake's decline, the catastrophic health and economic risks of inaction, and why there is still profound hope for a solution.

Our Guests:

Dr. Ben Abbott: Professor of ecology at Brigham Young University and executive director of Grow the Flow Utah. Dr. Abbott brings global expertise in water security and a deep ecological understanding of the lake’s current crisis.
Josh Romney: Co-founder and chairman of Great Salt Lake Rising and a dedicated Utahn fighting to ensure the state remains a safe, thriving home for future generations. Romney bridges the gap between environmental necessity, economic reality, and political action.

What We Discuss in This Episode:

The Shocking Reality: Why the shrinking lake is a "local problem with a global warning," and how its disappearance impacts local weather patterns and winter snowpack.
The Hidden Health Hazards: The dangerous composition of the exposed lakebed dust — including toxic levels of arsenic, mercury, and selenium — and what happens when it blows into major metropolitan areas.
Agriculture vs. Residential Water Use: Breaking down the math of water consumption. Why changing how we water our lawns and partnering financially with the agricultural community are both critical keys to the lake's survival.
Politics and Funding: A look at the growing political will to save the lake, including the direct involvement of President Donald Trump, whose 2027 fiscal budget proposal includes a historic $1 billion funding request for restoration efforts.
The 2034 Olympic Goal: Can the lake be set on a path to full recovery before the wo