Utah is mounting an ambitious — and some say near-impossible — campaign to refill the Great Salt Lake by 2034, when Salt Lake City is set to host the Winter Olympic Games. The effort has drawn an unlikely coalition of Republican lawmakers, environmental groups, business leaders, and even President Donald Trump.
The lake has been shrinking for decades. When it hit its record low in 2022, its water level sat nearly 10 feet below the threshold considered healthy, its volume down about 67% since pioneers settled the valley. Scientists warned of ecological collapse, and one Utah official called it an “environmental nuclear bomb.”
Spencer Cox, Utah’s governor, announced last fall that the state would restore the lake to a healthy level by 2034. Shortly after, Josh Romney, son of former Sen. Mitt Romney, launched a $100 million philanthropic campaign to help fund the effort. Then, last month, President Trump added his voice…