Farmers accused of drying up the imperiled Great Salt Lake say they can help save it
Environmentalists are suing Utah to force water cutbacks to farmers to save the Great Salt Lake. Farmers call the blame unfair and say that would have its own environmental and economic consequences.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — One of Deeda Seed's favorite spots to hike is a trail above her neighborhood that snakes up the steep Wasatch Mountains for an amazing view of Salt Lake City.
But on a recent afternoon, a brown cloud blanketed the valley, obscuring views of the downtown skyline. You could barely make out the Great Salt Lake off to the West.
Salt Lake City is notorious for having some of the dirtiest air in the country in the winter.
"This is dangerous air quality that we're sitting in and this drying lake bed is making the situation worse," Seed says.
Seed, who works for the green group Center for Biological Diversity, is talking about the recent rise in dust storms blowing naturally occurring toxins — such as arsenic and lead —
