The crisis has set off a race among state lawmakers, scientists and environmental advocates to save the largest salt-water lake in the Western Hemisphere.
Gunnison Island, seen from above, on the North Arm of the Great Salt Lake. When the water receded, one of the largest colonies of white pelicans in North America abandoned the island.
Darren Parry, a former chairman for the Northwest Band of Shoshone, grew up coming to the lake with his grandmother. She taught him prayers to honor the healing powers of the lake. For every foot the lake drops, an average of 44 square miles of lakebed is exposed, according to Utah State University’s Wayne Wurtsbaugh. The water becomes saltier, and the fragile food chain spasms. The tiny brine shrimp that flourish in the water die. The brine flies die, too, and about 10 million migratory birds that find refuge at the lake have less to eat.
As a result of these pressures, Baxter and her colleagues published a report earlier this year that predicted Steed was appointed earlier this year by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to coordinate the state’s response to the crisis. It’s a new position, and Steed has only been at work for a few months. At least three companies have expressed interest in extracting lithium from the lake’s mineral-rich brine, according to state officials.
Compass Minerals uses evaporation ponds to extract products like salt, potassium and magnesium. The company says it would have used these same ponds to produce lithium, requiring no additional evaporated water.
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