Great salt lake’s toxic dust could cost utah up to $11 billion as public health crisis looms

Utah’s Great Salt Lake is transforming into a massive dust bowl that threatens the health of millions of residents and could saddle the state with billions in cleanup costs, according to a stark new report from environmental groups.

The lake hit record-low levels in 2022, exposing roughly 800 square miles of lakebed that now bakes under the desert sun and erupts into regular dust storms across Utah’s populated Wasatch Front. While recent snowfall provided temporary relief, the lake remains perilously close to ecological collapse. Two environmental nonprofits—Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment and the Utah Rivers Council—warn that the toxic dust poses an underestimated public health threat that could penetrate residents’ lungs, bloodstreams, and even brains through ultrafine particles invisible to the naked eye.

The dust may carry heavy metals, pesticides, and PFAS “forever chemicals” due to the region’s history of mining and agriculture. If water levels persist at current lows, dust mitigation alone could cost between $3.4 billion and $11 billion over 20 years, based on expensive cleanup efforts at California’s dried Owens Lake. The groups argue Utah’s current “baby steps” approach falls dangerously short of what’s needed.

However, some scientists question whether the report relies too heavily on assumptions rather than documented evidence. The lake’s decline stems primarily from decades of water diversions by cities, farms, and industries, compounded by climate change accelerating evaporation rates. Experts agree the real solution isn’t managing the dust indefinitely, but refilling the lake itself.