Editor’s note: This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative , a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake .
The levels of the Great Salt Lake may be in decline, but the year 2024 saw a tremendous uptick in efforts to help the world’s eighth largest saline lake, a key part of Utah’s cultural identity and an economic driver for Utah.
With the industry it supports, the visitation it attracts and its ecological contributions, the lake delivers $1.9 billion to Utah’s economy annually and supports more than 7,000 jobs. It is part of the Pacific Flyway, supporting millions of birds as they make their migratory journey and need a rest stop for nesting and feeding. Bird watching attracts visitors from all over the world.
“In 2024 we saw another big snow year but the water year ended up average,” said Tim Davis, deputy Great Salt Lake commissioner in a recent report. “We saw the lake both rise and fall 3 feet. At the same time, the state made new investments. We need to be able to get the lake back to a healthy level. 2024 set the stage to make better water management decisions for the future.”