The Great Salt Lake has lost half its water. Scientists and environmental groups have watched and documented the lake’s decline and the threat that poses to ecosystems, air quality and even the economy.
A collective of people from the art world are trying to help. Amy MacDonald, founder of Brolly Arts, is co-hosting a community meeting this Sunday in Alta to raise awareness of Utah’s water use and misuse. It’s called Evaporation: what does it take to save enough water for Great Salt Lake?
MacDonald explained to KPCW that Utah’s water policies need a reboot to address climate change realities.
“Our water policy which is over 100 years old is very outdated," she said. "And it says that anything that is not any use of water that is not a beneficial use is not valuable. And at the time that that was created, water in a reservoir or water in a lake was not deemed beneficial. And so we could consume, we could divert, we could do a lot of different things. Our economic paradigm has left nature out, we have not considered the role of nature and we're now paying a very dear price.”
MacDonald said the lake’s lost volume is having a catastrophic impact on the brine shrimp, which no longer reproduce. Shrimp is a main food source to the thousands of birds that migrate to the lake.
Beyond wildlife, the Great Salt Lake helps maintain a delicate ecosystem which affects air quality and ultimately snow. As it continues to shrink the impacts will be felt in the Wasatch Back.
MacDonald says the reason for Sunday’s event is to hear from experts in the field and to experience an artist’s perspective on what’s happening to the lake.
The meeting takes place Sunday, November 13th at Alta’s Our Lady of the Snows Community Center at 3:30 p.m. It will feature multi-media presentations, reading and improvisation, and a performance art piece.
Tickets are $5 and space is limited.