Help Save Our Lake
The Great Salt Lake fuels our weather, our wildlife, and our way of life. But it's disappearing — fast.
Let's #RiseTogether to save our lake.
The Great Salt Lake fuels our weather, our wildlife, and our way of life. But it's disappearing — fast.
Let's #RiseTogether to save our lake.
The lake generates $2.5 billion in direct economic productivity every year — $2B in mineral extraction, $249M in recreation, $163M in ski industry revenue, and $106M in brine shrimp. More than $1.5 trillion in infrastructure along the Wasatch Front is at risk.
The Great Salt Lake drives lake-effect snow that supplies half the precipitation in our valleys and much of the snow in our mountains. Less lake means less snowpack, less water, and a shorter ski season.
800 square miles of exposed lakebed contain arsenic, lead, and mercury. Wind events send toxic dust across the Wasatch Front, where 3 to 5 million people live downwind. Communities near dried saline lakes worldwide have seen cancer rates rise 50-60% and infant mortality climb 60%.
10 million birds from 250 species stop at the Great Salt Lake every year. Up to 90% of North America's Eared Grebes depend on it. If the brine shrimp collapse, the birds have nowhere else to go.
It is a public health, economic, and cultural emergency. 80% of the lake's decline is caused by water use. We can fix this.
80% of the lake's decline is caused by water use. Nearly all water used indoors returns to the lake. Almost all water used outdoors does not.
We are coordinating across 30+ organizations to get water back to the lake. The immediate goal: 500,000 acre-feet of annual water savings by 2027.
All overhead and operational expenses are covered by the generosity of local businesses. Every dollar you contribute goes directly to lake restoration.
Great Salt Lake Rising exists to protect and restore the Great Salt Lake as a vital source of life, health, and prosperity for Utah and beyond. Sixty percent of the world's saline lake area has been lost. No lake has ever been restored. Utah will be the first.
GSL Rising is a public-private partnership 501(c)(3) that unifies and accelerates all lake restoration efforts — from phragmite removal and agricultural water transactions to municipal conservation and water rights purchases. We coordinate across 30+ organizations, agencies, and academic institutions to get more water to the lake.
No community has ever successfully restored a saline lake. Utah will be the first.
Be the first to hear about the lake, get invited to quarterly updates, and find ways to show your support.