Wildlife, air quality at risk as Great Salt Lake nears low
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Great Salt Lake in Utah has been shrinking for years, and a drought gripping the American West could make this year the worst yet.
The receding water is already affecting nesting pelicans that are among millions of birds dependent on the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi River.
Sailboats have been hoisted out of the water to keep them from getting stuck in the mud.
And more dry lakebed getting exposed could send arsenic-laced dust into the air that millions breathe.
The lake’s levels are largely expected to hit a 170-year low this year. It comes as the drought has the U.S. West bracing for a brutal wildfire season.
