Honors
148 The Great Salt Lake and the Bear River in Crisis: A Holistic Analysis
Belle October
Faculty Mentor: Eric Robertson (Honors, University of Utah)
Honors Thesis submitted April 2023
ABSTRACT
Bear River and Great Salt Lake are two ecological systems currently in the public eye due to a shrinking Great Salt Lake, and Bear River being its largest tributary. This paper attempts to explore a variety of topics in and around the lake and basin, to see how everything is currently being, or not being managed, and this paper argues that a holistic view of the lake and river are needed in order to resolve the current ecological crisis.
INTRODUCTION
Great Salt Lake is currently at its lowest level in recorded history.1,2 This is not just due to climate change or to the current drought, but also to woeful shortsightedness. Great Salt Lake is a terminal lake in Utah, USA, and the largest saltwater lake in the western hemisphere. Its’ main tributary and area of chief concern is Bear River, which provides 58% of the stream flows received by Great Salt Lake yearly.3 Average yearly stream flows from Bear River to Great Salt Lake have not changed in recorded history, so this must mean the decline in lake elevation is caused by some outside factor.4 Problems caused by human activities within a definable geographical area can be solved, and to do so a crucial step to reframe our thinking about Great Salt Lake and Bear River. In this paper, I will argue that viewing and treating Bear River Watershed and Great Salt Lake holistically is beneficial because it will protect the health of all the interrelated and reliant ecosystems, and protect the health of humans living in and around these ecosystems. Most importantly, incorporating the socio-political history of the Northwestern Shoshone tribes who lived here and the settlers that expelled them let us acknowledge and begin to repair some of the wrongs done to the Shoshone people.
Firstly, to prove to that there is a crisis and that it is anthropogenically caused, we begin with the history of Bear River stream flows. Ongoing data published by the USGS (United States Geological Survey) reveals the consistency of water resources within Bear River watershed, and the need for holistic solutions to our water crisis. The research shows that over the past 80 years, the average yearly streamflow through Bear River headwaters has stayed consistent, showing no change due to drought or wet years, historically.5 These findings show that the crisis of drought and shrinking water level in Great Salt Lake are not entirely caused by the historic drought we are living through, but instead an artificial crisis.
The Bear River and the Great Sale Lake are intimately connected, with Bear River responsible for 58% of the water flowing into Great Salt Lake yearly. The other two tributaries, the Jordan and the Weber, are responsible for the rest. Since Bear River is so important for the health of Great Salt Lake, its’ (Bear River’s) heal