Lake Dust & Air Quality
Great Salt Lake’s lowering lake levels mean more of the lakebed is exposed. The lakebed is made of fine silts and salts, which are easily carried by the wind into the Wasatch Front’s air. These particles also carry heavy metals.
Communities from Brigham City to Salt Lake are experiencing episodes of very poor air quality and conditions are forecasted to worsen as Great Salt Lake’s water levels are further reduced.
FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake is committed to supporting conservation actions that keep water in Great Salt Lake and our air healthy.
In 2016, FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake awarded the Doyle W. Stephens Scholarship to Derek Mallia, Ph.D. student, University of Utah for his research on "The Impacts of a Shrinking Great Salt Lake on Future Air Quality."