Reviving Great Salt Lake: A Call for Personal Responsibility.

Utah's intense snowfall this winter could help alleviate the state's water woes, but some scientists worry that lawmakers missed an opportunity to implement emergency measures to save the Great Salt Lake from ecological collapse. Despite earmarking over $400 million for ongoing water supply concerns, lawmakers chose not to set a specific target for lake levels or spend millions of dollars to boost lake levels by buying up short-term water rights. The situation reflects tensions across Western states mired in a two-decade megadrought, where policymakers are nearly out of runway on hard decisions and water users often collectively have rights to more water than what typically flows through each year.