SALT LAKE CITY — A collaboration of researchers says the Great Salt Lake is making progress, but it's still at a critically low level.
At the end of the 2025 "Water Year" (which concludes at the end of each September), the lake stood at 4,191.1 feet — the third-lowest since 1903, according to the report issued by the "Great Salt Lake Strike Team," a group made up of experts from the University of Utah and Utah State University, along with various state leaders and advocacy groups.
On Wednesday, the team released a comprehensive summary of data and insights, intended mainly for the Utah State Legislature, whose annual session begins on Jan. 20.
In their findings, the Strike Team said the state has made "significant strides" to stabilize the lake, but said there is still an "urgent need for sustained and data-driven action."
Nearly 400,000 additional acre-feet of water were delivered to the lake between 2021 and 2025, and the salinity levels of the lake's south arm have been stabilized thanks to "adaptive management of the causeway berm."
The Strike Team believes the lake can return to a "healthy" level (4,198 feet) by 2055 if it receives an additional 800,000 acre-feet per year.
"Climate projections further suggest that increasing temperatures will lead to greater evaporation, potentially offsetting gains from expected higher precipitation," the team wrote in their findings.
The full summary can be viewed HERE.
