Document Type
Report
Publisher
Utah State University
Publication Date
1-2026
First Page
1
Last Page
4
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Abstract
A combination of water diversions and climate change-related shifts have led to record low water levels and increasing salinity at Great Salt Lake (GSL) (1, 2). Low water levels not only impact those directly dependent on the lake—brine shrimpers and migratory birds, for example—but also the millions of individuals living along the Wasatch Front. Increasing toxic dust levels from exposed lakebed and potential shifts to snowpack in the region are of primary concern. Children and marginalized communities are especially vulnerable to the respiratory health impacts of toxic dust (3, 4). According to the 2023 Utah People & Environment Poll (UPEP), 87% of Utahns are “concerned” or “very concerned” about the drying of GSL and related issues (5).
Recommended Citation
Woodbury, Sarah A.; Vinyeta, Kirsten; Ulrich-Schad, Jessica D.; and Parry, Darren, "Most Utahns Support Affirming Rights of Great Salt Lake" (2026). Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP). Paper 24.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/canri_projects/24
Comments
Funding Source: USU College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHaSS), USU Mountain West Center for Regional Studies, USU Institute for Land, Water, & Air, USU Center for Intersectional Gender Studies and Research, and Made by Fell.