Idaho Matters

How the history of the Aral Sea could help us protect the Great Salt Lake

The Great Salt Lake in Utah is often compared to a lake in Central Asia: the Aral sea. Back in the 80s, the Aral Sea dried up so much it caused toxic dust storms - a problem Utah also faces. But the Aral Sea offers a potential solution for how to save a shrinking lake.

Broadcast on:: 30 Jan 2024

Severe drought takes its toll on the Great Salt Lake.(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

The Great Salt Lake in Utah is often compared to a lake in Central Asia: the Aral Sea. Back in the 80s, the Aral Sea dried up so much it caused toxic dust storms - a problem Utah also faces. But the Aral Sea offers a potential solution for how to save a shrinking lake.

Reporter Levi Bridges visited Kazakhstan for KUER and the Great Salt Lake Collaborative. He has this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.