Current Conditions

Great Salt Lake’s water level is influenced by precipitation, temperature, evaporation and runoff. It is a terminal basin, meaning it has no outlet, and once water arrives in the lake, it stays until it evaporates. So less water reaching the lake will, over time, ensure a smaller lake. Drought and warmer temperatures may also speed up the lake’s decline.

Runoff from the Uinta, Wasatch and Bear River ranges provides the primary water source for the lake. This runoff feeds the lake’s largest tributaries: the Bear River, the Jordan River and the Weber River. Combined, these sources supply nearly 70% of the lake’s water. The majority of the remaining water comes from direct precipitation on the lake, groundwater and intermittent streams in the West Desert.