By Charlie G. Patreus
Much has been said about the issues facing Utah’s Great Salt Lake. The Great Salt Lake hit its lowest recorded water level ever in November 2022. Arsenic in the exposed lakebed threatens to poison the air. Scientists at Brigham Young University in Provo estimate that without policy changes, the lake will dry up in 2028, with local species killed off by overly salty water beforehand. Today’s exposed lakebed is currently strewn with the corpses of dead seagulls and swarms of brine flies.
Even after recovering five feet of new water from this year’s massive snow runoff, the Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands reported it’s not going to be enough to fix the problem. The entire lake still needs to rise another five to six feet – hopefully more. In the 1910s, the iconic Black Rock was completely surrounded by water.
Will we ever refill the Great Salt Lake? One group doesn’t just think it’s possible – they think it’s not a big enough goal.
The ARCH-HIVE is a Utah-based art collective featuring “artists, musicians, writers, and thinkers exploring the unique perspectives & peculiarities of Utah, Mormonism, and the American West.” Art styles include folk, pop, esoteric, and psychedelic art. Known for their stylish design, tongue-in-cheek humor, and crowded art shows, the group frequently engages in quirky meet-ups. For instance: last October, the Mormon art group threw a Halloween gathering in Orem’s University Place Deseret Book – after it became a Spirit Halloween.
On August 12, 2023 they held a “Refill Lake Bonneville Protest” at the Black Rock Historic Site near the Great Salt Lake. The goal of the gathering was to not only save the lake, but to restore it to prehistoric levels. Lake Bonneville was a pluvial lake that covered most of the state during the Late Pleistocene, or Ice Age. The infographic below explains just how big these artists like to dream. And how much they value water over… pretty much all human life.
On the morning of the event, nearly two dozen attendees read poems, shouted protest chants, waved signs, and carried “Definitely Real and Definitely Not Cardboard Mitt Romney” to the shoreline before dumping “no more than 100 gallons” of water into the Great Salt Lake. According to the art collective, several attendees made a specific effort to ensure the water was sourced from outside the state of Utah. From what we observed, all water containers were recycled, and some participants removed existing trash and recyclables from the shore before heading home.
Hot dogs were consumed because the actual definitely-real-and-definitely-not-cardboard Mitt Romney’s “favorite meat is hot dog.” Many also gathered for frozen yogurt directly after the event.
Considering the fact that 2.5 billion gallons of water per day were flowing past the Willard Canal into the Great Salt Lake last May, “no more than 100 gallons” is statistically insignificant and will definitely not solve the environmental crisis. Despite this, The ARCH-HIVE insists that there is “definitely more water there than there was before” and “this is only the beginning.” Commenters on social media seemed to look forward to next year, when “dozens more gallons” would be added.
While certainly not the most effective means of delivering high volumes of water to our region’s iconic lake, if consistency turns this gathering into tradition, it could be a powerful and intriguing way to instill a love of environmental conservation in the hearts and minds of the average Utahn. Who knows?
At this point, we need all the help we can get.
Watch a recap of the gathering below.
Provo Tribune: Local News for the Provo/Orem Area 
11 replies on “Through Pouring Water Into The Great Salt Lake, One Group Hopes to Submerge All of Utah”
These people are definitely insane. Do they ever bother to read history. Do they know why Lake Bonneville was here and why it is no longer? Refilling Lake Bonneville is about as ridiculous as changing there temperature of the earth.
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satire
noun
The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
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You do not understand:
E Pluribus Unim: “Great things from small beginnigns”
From the tiniest seed of a puddle may grow a breathtaking lake.
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possible artist, activist, too stupid to really be thinkers after reading the article.
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Actually, it’s a genius idea. Consider the facts. Global warming WILL take the California central valley, and pretty much every southern State off the available living area or growing area, over the next few decades. Move the Salt Lake Metro area to higher nearby ground, refill lake Bonneville with Desalinated ocean water piped from California, strategically damn some of the Southern Utah Bonneville Lake components to optimize agricultural use, and turn Utah into the breadbasket of the American West. Last of all, consider what happens if this doesn’t occur. Utah becomes Arizona hot, western sources for vegetable and fruit crops disappear from the uninhabitable States that now produce them. Game over.
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How come no Utahns understand the importance of planting trees?? Planting trees around the Great Salt Lake offers a multitude of invaluable benefits. Not only do trees act as natural windbreaks, reducing evaporation rates and conserving water in this delicate ecosystem, but they also contribute to improved air quality by absorbing pollutants. Additionally, trees enhance biodiversity, providing habitat for diverse wildlife species that rely on the lake’s surroundings.
Uthans believes about watering trees during drought conditions is WRONG! Trees indeed play a vital role in mitigating the impacts of drought, rather than causing it.
Planting trees around the Great Salt Lake holds significant benefits, particularly in the context of combating drought. Trees are essential in conserving water and preserving moisture in the soil, making them valuable allies in drought resilience. By creating shade and reducing soil evaporation, trees help maintain water levels and support the overall health of the ecosystem. Their root systems also stabilize soil, preventing erosion and further water loss. With the ability to enhance the local microclimate and contribute to a balanced water cycle, trees are a natural solution in safeguarding the Great Salt Lake from the challenges posed by drought conditions.
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If every Utan took a piss in the lake, over the course of 125 quadrillion years, we might be able to refill the Provo lake. Now that is certainly doable.
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If u haven’t looked into the salt lake this may seem like an OK idea but there are problems the salt lake has salt in it that is potant that no fish or plant can live in in salk lake yes it can live around it but most of the plants on the island in the salt lake is grass and not many trees cause it’s hard for them to get water also in the soil and under it (where tree roots go) has salt but also the stuff that we use to make rat poison witch would kinds mostly be deadly to us humans and living things around the salt lake as in trees grass and animals. So as awsome as ur idea is it wouldn’t work to well the trees wouldnt grow or get the water they needed. Let alone the soil they need witch in/ around the salt lake witch has salt and the components we use to make rat poison. The resion they are trying to feel it up to the amount needed is cause when the stuff we use to make rat opinion dries up or atarts to it releases a deadly Gas witch will kill all of us living in Utah or well most of us.it was a good idea tho
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[…] Utah could face monsoon surges, primarily in southern Utah. Cedar City experienced flooding last Thursday evening. Heavy rain across the state is expected by Saturday. Intense rain might occur in central and eastern Utah. It remains to be seen how much water this storm will add to Utah Lake and the Great Salt Lake. […]
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[…] ARCH-HIVE – the Utah-based art collective most recently responsible for adding “no more than 100 gallons of water to The Great Salt Lake in a wonderfully wacky performance art stunt – is back. This time, the group is returning their […]
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I normally don’t comment, but this is brilliant. I agree, we need a bigger goal. Technically, I fully understand what created the magnificent Lake Bonneville. Still, I imagine it’s existence often for the 50 years since discovering the lakes prehistoric existence. The signs are everywhere. Sadly, many Utahs, are probably unaware.
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