From the country’s largest freshwater lake to its largest saltwater lake …
Of the Great Salt Lake, Wikipedia says
The area of the lake can fluctuate substantially due to its low average depth of 16 feet (4.9 m). In the 1980s, it reached a historic high of 3,300 square miles (8,500 km2), and the West Desert Pumping Project was established to mitigate flooding by pumping water from the lake into the nearby desert. In 2021, after years of sustained drought and increased water diversion upstream of the lake, it fell to its lowest recorded area at 950 square miles (2,500 km2), falling below the previous low set in 1963.
As of July 2022, the lake’s surface is only 950 square miles. Wikipedia continues, “In 2023, scientists at Brigham Young University estimated that without policy changes, the lake would dry up in 2028, with local species killed off by overly salty water somewhat before that. Continued shrinkage could also turn the lake into a bowl of toxic dust, poisoning the air around Salt Lake City.” Get there while there’s still something to see.
Next: Grand Teton National Park
