![]() ![]() Overseas, the Aral Sea became as source of toxic dust after its water was diverted away by the former Soviet Union. ![]() The draining of California’s Owens Lake as Los Angeles grew has cost billions. The costs of doing nothing may be even higher. Ultimately the solutions to this are going to be expensive.” “We recognize there’s a problem, and farmers want to be part of the solution. “This is going to be a slow start,” said Ferry, who is a farmer himself. The fund would also likely start with some federal pandemic money, and backers would hope to get donations as it continues. Under his plan, which has advanced at the state Legislature, it would be up to each farm to decide whether to sell water in a given year. The die-off will likely take years and years to repair even if they are fully submerged again, said Michael Vanden Berg, a state geologist. A significant portion of the microbialites were exposed to air, killing the vital microbes. The lake is also the nation’s biggest source of magnesium and could soon provide lithium, a key mineral for renewable energy batteries.īut last year the lake matched a 170-year record low and kept dropping, hitting a new low of 4,190.2 feet (1,277.2 meters) in October. The shrimp both support a multimillion-dollar industry supplying food for fish farms and nourish millions of migrating birds whose massive flocks can show up on radar. The mushroom-like structures are formed by furry, deep green mats of microbes, which are the base of the lake’s food chain and main sustenance for brine shrimp. The lake took a pummeling last year, with especially devastating effects on its microbialites, the Great Salt Lake’s version of a coral reef. “These are tiny baby steps that should have been taken 20 years ago.” It’s not going to do it with baby steps,” said Zach Frankel, executive director of the nonprofit Utah Rivers Council. “The Great Salt Lake needs some leaps to be saved. ![]()
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