Scientists claim that excessive water usage is to blame, as 74% of the water diverted from the lake is used for unsustainable agricultural practices.

Scientists believe that Utah's Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, could disappear within the next five years. As a result, millions of people could be affected by toxic dust "trapped" in the drying lakebed.

A warning published on 4 January by a team of 32 ecologists and conservationists states that the lake has lost 73% of its water and 60% of its surface area since 1850, and that it faces "unprecedented danger". Unless emergency measures are taken to restore an additional 326 billion gallons (1,234 billion litres) of water to the lake annually—enough water to fill nearly 500,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools—the lake could reach a point of no return by the end of 2024.

The Great Salt Lake is home to approximately 10 million migratory birds and generates roughly 2.5 billion US dollars per year for the state of Utah through economic activity. According to the report, it has been drying up at a record pace since 2020 and is currently 19 feet (5.8 metres) below its natural average level. Scientists and conservationists primarily blame the excessive water consumption of the region's alfalfa and hay farms, which, as the report notes, use 74% of all diverted lake water to irrigate their fields and pastures. To save the lake, water consumption must be rapidly reduced by 30-50%.
Photograph by Reuters/Brian Snyder used