The Great Salt Lake is the largest remaining wetland ecosystem in the American West, and it is in dire crisis. Located in Northern Utah, the Great Salt Lake is suffering from rampant upstream water diversions for agricultural, municipal, and industrial use. These diversions have caused steady declines in water entering the lake over the past 20+ years, resulting in a record low water level (4,188 feet above sea level) in November 2022.

This triggered international concern about the collapse of the lake’s ecosystem and questions about Utah’s failure to safeguard this precious aquatic ecosystem for 12 million migratory birds originating from every country in the Americas.

While a few large winter snowpacks raised the lake’s level after this record low, Great Salt Lake levels are rapidly declining with the next record low coming in the near future. Excessive upstream diversions have created a long-term water deficit in the Lake which, if left uncorrected, will inevitably relegate the Lake to the same status as other saline lakes around the globe — existing only in history and distant memory. Unfortunately, Utah's state government isn’t doing nearly enough to address this issue.
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In cooperation with the WATERKEEPER® Alliance, Utah Rivers Council founded the Great Salt Lake Waterkeeper to make up for the state’s failure. Through legislation, litigation, and grassroots action, we’re working to preserve this irreplaceable ecosystem.