As I read the three recent Salt Lake Tribune articles about the Great Salt Lake (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), one thing kept gnawing at me. The map at the end of the third article shows the lake, and lists the elevation in 2021 at 4190 feet, down from 4212′ in 1986 and an average elevation of 4200′.
I asked a number of people what they thought those numbers meant, and most of them thought the elevation numbers meant the average depth of the Great Salt Lake is about 4,200 feet. So the loss of 30 feet would be trivial.
However, those numbers are talking about elevation: the number of feet the top of the lake is above sea level. Such as using an altimeter at the surface of the lake, compared with the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
What is most important, however, and is too often ignored, is the actual depth of the lake.
I looked up about 10 sources, and all of them are in agreement that the average depth of the lake is about 14-15 feet, with a maximum depth of 33-35 feet. A loss of 30 feet means more than half the water in the lake in 1986 is now gone. Even with our last good years. Which explains why Antelope Island is now a peninsula.
It is not enough just to give accurate numbers. They need to be clear and understandable. The elevation numbers are not.
Gordon Johnston, West Valley City
