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Great Salt Lake Tracker

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News & Media Resources

At Grow the Flow we are committed keeping the public informed about Great Salt Lake. Below you’ll find media resources, news coverage, and the latest updates from the Lake.

Top Stories

Tooele Valley’s Proposed Data Center: A Clear Look at What’s Happening

A large industrial proposal is taking shape on the south shore of Great Salt Lake – one that could reshape…

Grow the Flow 2026 Midyear Report

Midyear Report 2026 by Becca Black

Grow the Flow’s Grassroots Strategy—And How You Fit In

The Big Picture The landing page of our website posits a pointed question: “Will you join the movement to protect…

Volunteering for Grow the Flow: DIY Air Filter Fundraiser at Fisher Brewing

Considering volunteering for Grow the Flow? Here’s what to expect. I first learned about the environmental crisis with the Great…

How Great Salt Lake’s Decline Could Affect Home Values in Utah

For most people, a home is the most valuable asset they will ever own. But, how much of that value…

Why the 2034 Olympics Depend on Saving the Great Salt Lake

As the World Cup tournament highlights, giant sporting events serve as major tourist attractions and economic boons for the hosts.…

Migratory Birds and Great Salt Lake: A Disappearing Habitat

Every spring and fall, something extraordinary happens in Utah’s skies. Millions of birds funnel into Great Salt Lake from places…

Your Public Pressure on Stratos Project is Working

Thanks to you, the Stratos Project’s top supporters have started backpedaling. Stuart Adams, senate president and long-standing chair of Utah’s…

You Filed A Formal Protest Against the Stratos Project’s Water Rights Application —Now What? 

Record-breaking protests led to the withdrawal of the first Stratos Project Water Rights Application On April 28, Bar H Ranch—a…

How to Engage on the Box Elder County Data Center Proposal

One of the largest data centers in the country could come to the shores of Great Salt Lake, threatening wildlife…

Saline Lake Spotlight: What Can Utah Learn from Lake Urmia?

Nestled in a mountainous region in northwestern Iran is Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East and…

The Great Salt Lake: A Solvable Crisis at a Breaking Point

Steve Kloos is a partner at Burnt Island Ventures, which invests in water-related technology and solutions. The Great Salt Lake…

$1 Billion Proposed for Great Salt Lake in Federal Budget– We Need Your Help! 

The White House’s Office of Budget and Management officially requested $1 billion to restore Great Salt Lake as part of…

How Groundwater Depletion Is Impacting Great Salt Lake

Over the past several decades, underground aquifers along the Wasatch Front have been steadily shrinking. More groundwater is being pumped…

Water Stewardship Across Cultures: What Utah Can Learn from Japan

In October, I met with staff members from the Matsumoto City Office in the Nagano Prefecture of Japan: Mr. Ota,…

Grow the Flow 2026 Legislative Session Report

One Week Left in the 2026 Legislative Session– Help Us Get Across the Finish Line!

There is only one week left in the 2026 Legislative Session! Thank you for all your help—you have lobbied, rallied,…

New Study Shows High Cost of Great Salt Lake Dust Mitigation

A new study from the University of Utah says that large-scale engineered mitigation of Great Salt Lake dust would be…

2026 Legislative Session Midpoint Update

We’re halfway through the 2026 Utah Legislative Session! Thank you to everyone who has joined us for our Lobby Days,…

Update on HB 60

HB 60 has been revised. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. David Shallenberger, has been working with concerned stakeholders and released a…

Legislation We’re Watching This Session

The 2026 Legislative Session is critical for Great Salt Lake. In order to deliver on Governor Cox’s historic pledge to…

Water Bankruptcy and the Future of Great Salt Lake

What is water bankruptcy?  In a landmark new report, the United Nations University’s Institute for Water, Environment, and Health says…

Grow the Flow 2025 End of Year Report

What Can Argentina’s Laguna Mar Chiquita Teach Us About Great Salt Lake?

The air smells of salt as we watch clouds of Wilson’s phalaropes skim the silver surface of the lake. Upstream…

Key Takeaways from the 2026 Great Salt Lake Strike Team Report

As Great Salt Lake hovers near historic lows, a new report from Utah’s Great Salt Lake Strike Team says that…

The Global Decline of Saline Lakes

Around the world, there are more than 120 major saline lakes—some of the most famous include the Caspian Sea, the…

Why is Great Salt Lake So Salty? 

You’ve likely heard the phrase, “every river meets the ocean.” In many watersheds, that’s true: water flows in and water…

Meet the Ghost Who Haunts Great Salt Lake

Great Salt Lake’s legends extend far beyond flamingos and sea monsters—its salty shores are said to be haunted by souls…
Automatic garden lawn sprinkler in action watering grass

How Your Local Government Can Help Save Great Salt Lake

Utah had a long, hot summer—intesified by the state's ongoing megadrought. As KUER reported, we might be facing even more…

Bison on Antelope Island: A Guide to Utah’s Great Salt Lake Herd

Did you know that only a 50 minute drive north of Salt Lake City, you can see a thriving bison…

We need your help! Tell DEQ to terminate US Magnesium’s GSL water leases

US Magnesium’s bankruptcy has stalled the state’s move to cut off the company’s Great Salt Lake mineral and water leases—even…

Showers Don’t Drain Great Salt Lake—Your Lawns Do

According to a new report from the Utah Division of Water Resources, state, regional, and municipal leaders should focus on…

Eight Feet in Eight Years– Filling the Lake Starts Today

Yesterday was a good day for Great Salt Lake. Utah’s political, philanthropic, business, and non-profit leaders gathered at Farmington Bay…

What Role Do Microbialites Play in Great Salt Lake?

This blogpost was written by Annika Simonson, a senior at Olympus High School who plans to study bioengineering. If you’ve…

Where Life Begins: Wetlands and Our Shared Future

“Marsh is not swamp. Marsh is a space of light, where grass grows in water, and water flows into the…

Overview of the Aral Sea disaster

Benjamin W. Abbott1, August 25, 2025, 1Brigham Young University, Department of Plant & Wildlife Sciences The Aral Sea was formerly…

New Forecast Warns: Winter Snow Won’t Save Great Salt Lake

New long-range forecasts from OpenSnow indicate that Utah’s upcoming winter will likely bring warmer temperatures and below-average snowfall—conditions that could…

Legends and Lore of Great Salt Lake: Flamingos, Monsters, and More

What do flamingos, crocodile-bat monsters, whales, and whirlpools have in common? According to legend, they’ve all been spotted in Great…

Great Salt Lake Slips Toward 2022 Record Low

The South Arm of Great Salt Lake has dropped to 4,192 feet—the official threshold at which Utah warns of “serious…

Great Salt Lake Dust Targets Davis and Weber Counties

A dust event swept across northern Utah on Monday, July 21, 2025, driven by 25-35 mph winds blowing northward across…

Great Salt Lake Community Forum to Address Growing Concerns Over Toxic Dust

As drought conditions persist and Great Salt Lake continues to recede, Utahns are growing increasingly concerned about toxic dust storms…

How to build your own brine shrimp terrarium

Brine shrimp are the foundation of Great Salt Lake’s ecosystem. These tiny crustaceans feed on algae and bacteria, and in…

Fireworks, Drought, and Great Salt Lake Dust

This weekend, Utahns will celebrate with barbecues, parades—and, for many, fireworks. With more than 90% of Utah in “drought status”,…

New Rule Caps Salinity Discharges into Great Salt Lake

As Great Salt Lake continues to shrink and its salinity increases, Utah regulators have finalized a new rule to limit…

Utah to Install 19 New Dust Monitors to Track Great Salt Lake Dust

Nineteen new dust monitors are being installed in communities around Great Salt Lake and in the West Desert, marking the…
Photo by Grayson Whitmore

Thank you for making Sailfest 2025 a success!

On Saturday, more than 600 Utahns came together at Great Salt Lake State Park to celebrate the lake we love.…

Utah Has the Tools—Now It Needs the Political Will: A Conversation with Rep. Doug Owens

Utah must summon the political and financial will to acquire and dedicate actual water to the lake—otherwise, incremental policy changes…
Automatic garden lawn sprinkler in action watering grass

Does One Lawn Really Make a Difference? Here’s Why It Does

Guest Blog Post by Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District When the topic of Great Salt Lake comes up, it’s common…

Sailfest 2025 Unites Utahns to Celebrate and Preserve Great Salt Lake

Sailfest is back! On Saturday, June 7th from 10 am-4 pm at the Great Salt Lake State Park and Marina,…

Great Salt Lake Crisis Draws National Attention

A recent New York Times article has once again put the crisis facing Great Salt Lake on the national stage.…

Where to See Spring Bird Migration at Great Salt Lake: Top Viewing Spots

Each spring, Great Salt Lake transforms into one of the most important stopovers for migratory birds in the Western Hemisphere.…
"Salt Lake City, Utah, USA - September 9, 2011: A sign at the entrance of the University of Utah."

University of Utah Students Push for Great Salt Lake Action at Capitol

This legislative session, we were proud to partner with University of Utah students who brought fresh energy and real impact…

Support Changes to Provo City Water Pricing

This Tuesday, April 22, the Provo City Council will vote on whether to adopt a tiered water rate structure—a change…
Automatic garden lawn sprinkler in action watering grass

Survey: Utahns Deeply Concerned About Dwindling Water Supply

A new statewide survey reveals widespread concern about water scarcity, with nearly three-quarters of residents expressing worry and only 16%…

Can Utah’s Market-Based Plan Save Great Salt Lake? 

Great Salt Lake is vanishing. Over the last decade, the lake has declined significantly—exposing toxic dust, killing wetlands, upending ecosystems,…

Opportunities for More Sustainable Mineral Extraction on Great Salt Lake

2025 Utah Legislative Recap: The Good, Bad, and Missed Opportunities

This legislative session saw a focus on energy development, land use, and government transparency—while water conservation and Great Salt Lake…
Angel on the Spiral Jetty By Susan Kirby
Angel on the Spiral Jetty By Susan Kirby

Buy Artwork. Save Great Salt Lake. “Replenish” Art Auction.

Angel on the Spiral Jetty By Susan Kirby For the past few months, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to help…

The Future of Utah’s Snow Depends on Great Salt Lake

Utah’s legendary ‘Greatest Snow on Earth’ wouldn’t exist without Great Salt Lake. The lake is crucial in fueling the state’s…
Carole Straugh, Volunteer of the Month, February 2025
Carole Straugh, Volunteer of the Month, February 2025

Meet our Volunteer of the Month, Carole!

Why I volunteer with Grow the Flow I love birds, so when I moved to Salt Lake City fifteen years…

Legislative Update: Four Weeks Down, Three to Go

Utah Legislative Update: Key Water Bills to Watch for Great Salt Lake We’re now almost four weeks into the Utah…

Welcome to the 2025 Utah Legislative Session!

Top 3 Issues We’re Watching in the 2025 Utah Legislative Session Welcome to the 2025 Utah Legislative Session! Over the…

The 2034 Winter Olympics are not possible without the Great Salt Lake

Photo credit: Laszlo Otis-Pasternak Since hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City’s legacy has been defined by its success.…

Community Healing Amidst Crisis

What does community look like?  My mom was diagnosed with severe breast cancer when I was a sophomore in high…

The Great Salt Lake Migration

Picture by Mary Anne Karen, used with permission Growing up in the Evergreen State of Washington, I loved coming to…

AJR is Asking You to Care About Great Salt Lake

Photo Credits: Jeremiah Kane | AJR Productions AJR is an up and coming NYC-born pop band that has something to…

Students to the Rescue!

When I was younger, I hardly knew what to do with myself. My time management skills were non-existent when I…

A dry lakebed will not just produce toxic dust. It will also emit CO2 into the atmosphere.

We already knew that climate change is partially contributing to the decline of the Great Salt Lake. Thanks to recent…

Highlighting our Great Salt Lake Ambassadors

Our Great Salt Lake Ambassadors are leveraging their unique skills and background to grow the flow one person at a…

Loss of Great Salt Lake Could Cut Northern Utah Precipitation in Half

While living in Utah, I’ve often heard people refer to the state as one huge desert. While deserts certainly cover…

Your Showers aren’t the Problem

Photo by Don Grayston You shouldn’t feel bad about taking a little extra time in the shower. In fact, indoor…
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 22: Trucks move shipping containers at the Union Pacific Intermodal Terminal on November 22, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Union Pacific Railroad is transporting containers that RSD is helping to store from the ports in Southern California to help relieve the supply chain pressures. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)

Inland Port Updates

Trucks move shipping containers at the Union Pacific Intermodal Terminal on Nov. 22, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo…
old photo of swimmers at saltair
8-bit RGB flat IBM byte order uncompressed TIFF file, 3819x3060 pixels (9.55x7.65 inches) @ 400.00 pixels/inch, written by Adobe Photoshop 7.0

Connecting with Great Salt Lake

Photo Credit: Charles Roscoe Savage Great Salt Lake is often thought of by Utahns and non-Utahns alike as buggy, boring,…

Hidden Dangers: How a Dried Up Great Salt Lake Could Poison Our Children’s Air

Air pollution is a silent killer. We can’t always see it, we can’t smell it, we can’t hear it–yet it…
rally for great salt lake at Utah capitol

How does the Utah State Legislative system work?

Even though the Utah Legislative session won’t start up again for another nine months, it’s never too early to start…

Hope for the Wilson’s Phalarope: The Need For an Endangered Species Act Listing

Photo Credit: Mary Anne Karren One of Great Salt Lake’s most unique residents is the Wilson’s Phalarope. The grayish-colored migratory…

Great Salt Lake: A Haven for Threatened Bird Species

All Photos Credited to Mary Anne Karren “We don’t own Planet Earth, we belong to it. And we must share…

Senator Sandall talks with Grow the Flow about Great Salt Lake and the future of Utah’s water security

Senator Scott Sandall wants to protect Utah’s water security well into the future. “We need to be thinking about what…

Final bills to watch during the 2024 Legislative Session

Image by Reginaldo Martins from Pixabay Information provided by the University of Utah's Wallace Stegner Center. For more details, click…

Lake-Facing Community: An Interview with Nan Seymour

Photo credits: Save Our Great Salt Lake We had the opportunity to sit down with Nan Seymour from Save Our…

A Declining Great Salt Lake→A Declining Global Economy

Brine shrimp—a crustacean native to Great Salt Lake—are about a centimeter in size. This makes them the largest animals that…

Microbialites

All photos from Mary Anne Karren, used with permission This article was originally published on Mary Anne’s website, maryannekarren.org and has…

Youth Town Hall–December 2023

Photo Credit: Utah House Democrats In December, Grow the Flow helped support a student-led Town Hall in Holladay City. A…

Interview with Patrick Belmont about GSL Plan

Last week, the Great Salt Lake Commissioner, Brian Steed, released his strategic plan for rescuing the lake. The plan outlined…

Will we make 2024 the turning point for Great Salt Lake?

This blog post was originally posted by Ben Abbott on his personal blog.  This Saturday, more than a thousand Utahns…

Air Pollution and Great Salt Lake

There are a lot of things that Utah is known for. From strange alcohol laws, to its highly religious population,…

2024 Utah Snowpack Update

Utah’s Snowpack and the Outlook for Great Salt Lake At this time last year, Utah’s snow pack was sitting at…

Farmer’s History and Future in the Great Salt lake Basin

Image Credit: Wolfgang Borchers on Pixabay Long before Brigham Young gazed over Salt Lake Valley and pronounced, “This is the…

Secret Santa for Great Salt Lake

With Christmas around the corner, there’s a lot of great ways to serve the people around us. At Grow the…

Town Hall with Rachel Whipple and Tyler Clancy

Representative Tyler Clancy and Provo City Councilwoman Rachel Whipple joined Grow the Flow yesterday for a town hall at Brigham…

Native American History Month and Great Salt Lake

Photo: Carl Moore at Great Salt Lake, September 2023 by Teri Harman Saving Great Salt Lake is not only about…

Bear River Development Panel

We had an amazing turnout and support for this afternoon’s virtual panel on the Bear River Development. Experts on water…

What is Actually Happening with Great Salt Lake?

Photo credit: Logan Gardner “The Great Salt Lake is drying up!” “Are we all going to die in 5 years?” …

The Bear River Development: a multi-billion dollar project looming over the Great Salt Lake’s future. 

What is the Bear River Development?  Enacted in 1991, the Bear River Development Act gives the Division of Water Resources…

Slow the Flow vs. Grow the Flow

I’m guessing you have heard of Grow the Flow because you are reading this right now. If not, we are…

Summary of the Water Policy Accelerator

Photo by Unma Desai on Unsplash One of the key components of Grow the Flow is the creation of the…

Summary of the Research Coordination Network

To determine what the various strategies we push for should focus on, a Research Coordination Network is needed to study…

Youth Coalition Launch

Youth Coalition Draws Impressive Crowd We were so grateful to join the Youth Coalition for Great Salt Lake at their…
Phalaropes at sunset at Great Slat Lake

Go ahead and flush

Photo from Mary Anne Karren     This article was originally published on Mary Anne's website, maryannekarren.org and has been republished…

Can Dams Save Great Salt Lake?

Dam History and Politics For over a century, dams have been bastions of development in the Western United States. They…

Press Releases

Press Release: Study Finds Health Benefits of Great Salt Lake Restoration Could Outweigh Costs

SALT LAKE CITY — Sept. 1, 2026 — Dust from the shrinking Great Salt Lake generates an estimated $1.1 billion…

Press Release: Stratos Developers Withdraw Water Rights Applications After Thousands of Protests, Plan to Refile

SALT LAKE CITY — May 7, 2026 — Developers behind the proposed Stratos hyperscale data center project in Box Elder…

Press Release: Analysis Finds Box Elder Data Center Could Release as Much Heat as 23 Atomic Bombs Per Day

SALT LAKE CITY — May 7, 2026 — A preliminary analysis of the proposed Box Elder data center found that…

Press Release: New Study Finds Great Salt Lake Dust Risks Could Extend Beyond Direct Exposure

SALT LAKE CITY — April 9, 2026 — Dust from the drying Great Salt Lake may pose broader public health…

Press Release: Utah Made Progress on Great Salt Lake in 2026 Session, But Major Gaps Remain

SALT LAKE CITY — Mar. 13, 2026 — A new report analyzing Utah’s 2026 Legislative Session finds that lawmakers took…

Press Release: Resolution Urges Federal Partnership to Save Great Salt Lake

SALT LAKE CITY — Feb. 27, 2026 — The Utah State Legislature introduced a resolution to urge the federal government…

Press Release: New Policy Guide Outlines Immediate Legislative Priorities for Great Salt Lake

Salt Lake City, UT — Feb. 13, 2026 — As Utah lawmakers debate major water legislation this session, policy experts…

Press Release: New Billboard Campaign Highlights Great Salt Lake as Legislative Session Begins

SALT LAKE CITY — Jan. 27, 2026 — Grow the Flow's new statewide billboard campaign is educating Utahns on how a…
A still from The Lake by Abby Ellis, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Press Release: Sundance Film “The Lake” Features Utah Scientists, Political leaders, and Organizers

SALT LAKE CITY — Jan. 19, 2026 — Utah’s race to save Great Salt Lake is getting an international audience this…

Press Release: Great Salt Lake Researchers Collaborate on International Study of Saline Lakes in Argentina

SALT LAKE CITY — Jan. 9, 2026— Great Salt Lake researchers from the University of Utah and Brigham Young University…

Press Release: Newest LDS Apostle Stresses Importance of Great Salt Lake in First Address

SALT LAKE CITY — Nov. 19, 2025— In his first public address as an Apostle of the Church of Jesus…

Press Release: Our Sacred Lake: Faith Communities Unite to Honor and Protect Great Salt Lake

SALT LAKE CITY — Nov. 6, 2025— People of all faiths will gather at The Cathedral of the Madeleine (331…
mountains behind great salt lake

Press Release: “GSL Rising” Inaugural Meeting Unites Leaders Behind 2034 Goal to Restore Great Salt Lake

SALT LAKE CITY — Oct. 28, 2025 —  Great Salt Lake Rising, a new coalition accelerating the effort to restore…

Press Release: Utah Leaders Commit to Restore Great Salt Lake by 2034

SALT LAKE CITY — Sept. 29, 2025 —  Utah leaders have just announced a $200 million public-private partnership to restore…

Press Release: Community Forum to Address Economic and Health Risks of Shrinking Great Salt Lake

Salt Lake City, UT— Sept. 23, 2025 —As Great Salt Lake continues to decline, toxic dust from its exposed lakebed poses…

Press Release: Volunteers Invited to Join International Coastal Cleanup Day at Utah Lake

Salt Lake City, UT— Sept. 15, 2025 – Join Grow the Flow, Tidey Ocean, and LDS Earth Stewardship this International…

Press Release: New Forecast Warns: Winter Snow Won’t Save Great Salt Lake

Salt Lake City, UT— Aug. 15, 2025– New long-range forecasts from OpenSnow indicate that Utah’s upcoming winter will likely bring…

Press Release: Community Gathers at Great Salt Lake Dust Forum to Address Toxic Dust Threat

Salt Lake City, UT— July 15, 2025 — More than 100 community members gathered at Grow the Flow’s Dust Forum on…
people on a sailboat in the Great Salt Lake

Press Release: Sailfest 2025 Unites Utahns to Celebrate and Preserve Great Salt Lake

Salt Lake City, UT — May 20, 2025 — Sailfest is back! On Saturday, June 7th from 10 am-4 pm at…

Press Release: Legal Experts Warn of Expanding Securities Risks as Great Salt Lake Declines

Salt Lake City, UT — May 15, 2025 — Businesses and local governments across Utah could soon be legally required to…

Press Release: Dust Storm from Great Salt Lake and Kennecott Tailings Impacts Salt Lake Valley Residents 

Images 1,2,4 by Carmen Valdez, Senior Policy Associate for The Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL Utah), taken near Saltair.…

Press Release: New billboard provides live feed of Great Salt Lake status

Salt Lake City, UT— Feb. 10, 2025 – Grow the Flow, a water policy and advocacy non-profit, has launched a Great…

Emergency Press Release on Bear River Development

Image from Ecoflight One step forward and two steps back? New effort to build the Bear River Project threatens to…

Grow the Flow Press Release

For release on Wednesday, October 4, 2023   Grow the Flow Seeks 100,000 Citizens to Rescue Great Salt Lake SALT…

CONTACT FOR PRESS INQUIRIES

Sam Hawkins, sam@growtheflowutah.org

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Photo Credit: EcoFlight/Sallie Dean Shatz