Jeff Manwaring runs Exclusive Excursions, a Utah tour company that, among other things, operates boat tours on the Great Salt Lake.“We’ll do it kind of in early
Jeff Manwaring runs Exclusive Excursions, a Utah tour company that, among other things, operates boat tours on the Great Salt Lake. Jeff Manwaring runs Exclusive Excursions, a Utah tour company that, among other things, operates boat tours on the Great Salt Lake.
“We’ll do it kind of in early to mid-April,” said Manwaring, referring to when he first puts his boats in the water for the season. But this year has been very different. Thanks to warm temperatures, Manwaring was able to launch his boats nearly a month early, right around St. Patrick’s Day.Manwaring is certainly happy about the good start to the lake season, but the rest of the year makes him nervous. The lake is already at a low level. Water levels would normally rise after the spring runoff, but Utah is dealing with its worst snowpack on record. That means there won’t be much water coming in to raise lake levels. At the beginning of this week, the elevation of the water level in the lake was hovering just above 4,191 feet. That’s well below 4,198 feet, which is the lowest level for optimum lake health. Current forecasts call for a meager rise in lake levels because of spring runoff. Those forecasts are calling for a peak lake level of between 4,192.1 and 4,192.4 feet. That’s before summer evaporation will shrink the lake further. There’s even a chance the lake could surpass its record low seen in November of 2022, when it measured 4,188.5 feet. “It depends on what happens from this year going forward, but it’s within the realm of the possible,” said Brian Steed, Great Salt Lake Commissioner. Nearly everyone agrees that more water needs to get to the lake. Steed said that hasn’t always been the case. He called the perception shift critical. But actually getting more water to the lake in such a dire snowpack year is the real challenge. “It’s going to take some intentional choices on our behalf, and part of those choices are going to be increased conservation measures,” Steed said.. Mayor Erin Mendenhall is calling for voluntary water conservation. Utah Governor Spencer Cox anticipates more cities will do the same and that restrictions may become more severe as the year goes on. Right before the Great Salt Lake reached its lowest level in 2022, Manwaring was forced to pull his tour boats out of the lake. That’s not likely to happen this year because state officials dredged part of the lake, allowing for deeper water for the boats to operate in. “The Harbor Master said no matter what happens, you guys will be safe for another year or two,” Manwaring said. “But then looking ahead of that is kind of scary.” It’s also scary for Brian Steed. But despite the outlook, Steed is still optimistic that the lake can be saved. “I’m not blind to the challenges we face this year,” Steed said. “It’s an ugly year. That being said, the balance of work that we’ve seen over the last half-decade is really impressive for the state.” Steed points to how the state legislature changed state law to view water that reaches the lake as beneficial use. Steed also said the amount of water being intentionally delivered to the lake has increased and is growing. “Through leases and acquisition of water rights, we’re actually delivering 160,000 acre feet more water to the lake than we were even three years ago,” Steed said. “I think we’re seeing real positive movement for the lake.”A large house fire broke out in the Sandy area, prompting a response from Unified Fire Authority and the Sandy Fire Department.Benjamin Porter, a spokespersonThe lawyer for Michael Jayne, accused of aggravated murder for running his semi into Sgt. Bill Hooser on I-15, said the case “is not, and it never was, an intenTwo people were killed on Wednesday after a semi-truck collided with a Corvette near Erda in Tooele County.The crash was first reported just after 10 a.m. on MA first-grader was leaving an elementary school in Herriman to go to daycare when he was assaulted by another student with a small wooden baseball bat.Now, hisMajor roads surrounding the Temple Square in Salt Lake will close for several months after the Salt Lake City Council unanimously granted a request from the Chu
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