Studies reveal the economic might, ecological uncertainty of Great Salt Lake

SALT LAKE CITY — Twin studies almost two years in the making alternately reveal the economic powerhouse that is the Great Salt Lake and the frailty of its ecological health.

Significant threats now and into the future for the Western Hemisphere's largest terminal body of salt water include reduction in lake levels, increases in the invasive phragmites and losses of the alkali knolls — those upland areas from the lake mostly on private property that provide nesting alternatives for waterfowl.

The separate studies conducted by the Great Salt Lake Advisory Council probed the economic significance of the lake and what is known so far about the present-day health of its expansive ecosystem.

Lynn de Freitas, executive director of the Friends of the Great Salt Lake, said the studies should receive the red carpet treatment as they make the rounds of various state agencies, local government groups and conservation organizations.

"It is just a very exciting start point for the next steps that we can take to preserve and protect the system, especially since we know how economically important it is," she said.

The studies, which were finalized last month and debuted in a presentation this week to state water quality board members, support a dual message of the Great Salt Lake's ecological wonders and the unique nature of the vast amount of dollars it brings to Utah.

A total of $1.3 billion is generated each year in direct economic impact to the state's gross domestic product by the lake, which serves as the United States' single home-produced source of magnesium and supplies 35 percent of the world market for brine shrimp eggs.

Another $375 million is pumped into the economy in labor income with 7,706 full- and part-time jobs created because of the lake's existence.

Some of those dollars in economic impact are realized in the very tangible statements delivered monthly to households in sewage and waste-water treatment bills.

It's estimated that the lake saves users and operators of publicly-owned waste-water treatment plants anywhere from $10.3 million to nearly $60 million each year.

The study points out that the unique characteristics of the lake allow it to process the nutrient discharges with standards that are below what would be required, or even allowed, in a freshwater lake.

For Leland Myers, that necessary relationship the lake has with waste-water treatment plants is the reason he's been involved in more than a decade of studying the lake and making sure the less harm done, the better.