Utahns have an enormous resource, but it’s being threatened. The Great Salt Lake is currently at the lowest levels ever recorded.

Last week, Speaker of the Utah House of Representatives Brad Wilson and I, along with a group of other State officials, were able to tour areas connected to and dependent on the survival of the Great Salt Lake—everything from the world of agriculture to industrial processes to migratory birds. One thing is clear: The need to save the Great Salt Lake is immediate.

Fortunately, our tour taught us that there are number of actions that can be taken that will dramatically increase the flow of water into the Lake—conservation of various kinds and the implementation of new technology into agriculture. I am optimistic that if properly organized, and with a lot of support from the public, we’ll be able to solve the problem of the shrinking of the Great Salt Lake.

Below, you will find more information about what we learned with a brief recap of our day spent touring the Lake. There are answers. Getting the right answers in place, fast enough, is the task before us.

Let’s do everything in our power to save the Great Salt Lake.

The Eccles Wildlife Education Center:

The group—including, from left to right, Mike Schultz (Majority Leader, Utah State House of Representatives), Candice Hasenyager (Director, Utah Division of Water Resources), Brad Wilson (Speaker, Utah State House of Representatives), David Hinkins (Utah State Senator and co-chair of the Utah Legislative Water Task Force), and Senator Romney—meets up at the Eccles Wildlife Education Center in the morning for the start of the tour.

Casey Snider (Utah State Representative and co-chair of the Utah Legislative Water Task Force) and Senator Romney learn about the work being done to protect the Great Salt Lake’s ecosystems, including the more than 250 species of migratory birds that are sustained by the Lake and its wetlands.

The group learns about agricultural systems being developed that would allow farmers to water their fields with about 30% less water—potentially saving up to 100,000 acre feet of water per year—which would open up more water for the Great Salt Lake.

Senator Romney tours the Great Salt Lake Brine Shrimp Cooperative to learn more about efforts to preserve a natural and sustainable population of brine shrimp amidst the Lake’s dropping water levels and rising salinity. The Lake provides 45% of the world’s brine shrimp.

The airboat comes to a stop at a part of the Lake that is less than one foot deep. The Great Salt Lake hit a new historic low at the beginning of August.

The group ends the day back at the Eccles Wildlife Education Center in Farmington to discuss the day’s findings and next steps to save this iconic part of Utah—and our country.