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gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 1d

as far as I can tell nobody reads me here, so I use this place to put together thoughts. I am going through the M&I document put out by UTDNR. I realize they are trying to retrofit decades worth of supply side water management into the new Great Salt Lake narrative. but it doesn't fit.

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 2d

It appears to me that there really has not been a solid Great Salt Lake study. The USU study was on saline lakes in general, but each lake has its own nuances. BYU study took generalized information from Colorado river and else ware and applied it to the GSL. Nothing strictly GSL hydrology.

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 3d

Policy often only looks at a dozen major reservoirs; reservoir retention has a much bigger scale of diversion and depletion.

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 3d

A list of reservoirs in the GSL basin.
Looking at this list exemplifies how problematic past #GreatSaltLake studies have been in omitting their retention and evaporation as a large portion of flows missing from GSL.
It has let policy make decisions on half of the information needed.

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gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 6d

Gov. Cox unveiled plans for 2,600 miles of trails in #Utah .
Asan e-biker, this is awesome!

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 11d

4/
When a farmer fallows a field, the concept is the same, but the percentages are different.
Less diversion, less depletion, also means less return to flow, unless accounted for and delivered to the lake.

The metric has to be water to the lake.

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 11d

3/
If you choose not to shower the next day to conserve water, no water is diverted, no water is depleted, no water is return to flow.
Remember that accumulated water.
That remains in upstream reservoirs, depriving GSL of inflow.

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gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 11d

2/
water was "diverted" to your home to shower in.
A small portion of the water is "depleted" in your towel.
The rest is "return to flow", in other words GSL inflow.

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gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 11d

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Understanding return to flow.
When you take a shower, press the plug down and allow the water to build up, notice how much water accumulates. when you pull the plug that water drains to the GSL after sanitation.
That is return to flow.

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gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 12d

Right now, policy makers are stuck in a magical thinking matrix.
They are under the impression that water conservation somehow magically adds water to the GSL.
There is a disconnect between saving and delivery.
Water conservation leaves water in upstream reservoirs instead.

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 12d

There are 3 ways it can playout.

Cap reservoirs and see positive change over time.

Weather steps in and delivers more precipitation than reservoirs can retain.

Continue water conservation as is, which depletes return flows and watch the lake diminish over time.

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · Sep 26

#GreatSaltLake solution
Cap reservoir storage
Instead of filling every reservoir to capacity, cap reservoirs at 60,70, 80, 90% depending on actual needs of individual reservoirs.
This would cut down on evaporation losses, allow flows to return to the GSL and make water conservation meaningful.

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gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 17d

#GreatSaltLake management has opportunity to effect positive change through informed and innovative practice of capping reservoir storage.
#utah #slowtheflow #waterwise #utpol #utleg

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gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 19d

The Great Salt Lake needs thorough science, not bleeding hearts. This is also where U of U dust science and Westminster/BYU's 5-year claims went astray, they chased emotions instead of evidence.

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 19d

Until UTDNR changes management of reservoir flows from volume hoarding to data driven oversight it will fail to effect positive change.
In short, the "Water Development, Consumptive Water Uses, and the Great Salt Lake" -USU, mislead the trajectory of GSL reclamation and made it worse.

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gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 19d

3 years ago, UTDNR claimed "GSL could dry up in 5 years", I knew they were full of shit. That started me on my journey of investigating everything GSL related.
UTDNR claimed water conservation, especially agriculture could "save" the lake, instead, that turned out to be a net negative.

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gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 24d

Concerning the #GreatSaltLake news media
If it does not meet the metric of acre-feet of water to the lake, it is Great Salt Lake theater.

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 25d

2/
The upstream reservoirs hold excess storage.
The North arm's salinity isn’t just a number, it’s a mirror. If upstream storage isn’t inventoried, shepherded, and capped to match real needs, the south arm will follow.

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 25d

1/
The bragging has been done.
The berm was raised.
The metric was not met - acre feet to the lake.
The lowering of salinity in the south arm is not guaranteed.
The rise of salinity to the north arm is the most likely outcome.

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gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 29d

just the last couple weeks In our area of Utah Trump supporters have been removing their Trump flags. I suspect this is due to what happened to Kirk.

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 29d

Going forward if the Utah media is mentioning the GSL but not talking about excessive reservoir storage and acre-feet to the lake, just know it is click bait. All the rest is theatrics.

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · 29d

Utah Division of natural Recourses published Municiple and Industrial: Water Conservation opportunities.
I did a review of the information on twitter.
It was if there were no hydrology involved.
Propaganda to sway politicians in order to increase funding.

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · Sep 30

Optimization (efficiency) is having a negative effect on our lake, because it prioritizes upstream retention and irrigation gains while starving the terminal basin of inflow. The result is a system that celebrates water savings without accounting for ecological loss.

gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · Sep 30

The damage to the Great Salt Lake is compounded by a combination of factors: return flows are removed from inflow, then sequestered in reservoirs that already restrict water delivery to the lake.

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gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · Sep 30

As you can see, the GSL is not going to dry up in 5 years, it is being harmed by water management decisions cutting off flows.
The combinations of irrigation innovation, water saving fixtures and excessive reservoir retention are exacting a toll on elevation. #acrefeettothelake

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gslsentinel.bsky.social @gslsentinel.bsky.social · Sep 30

#GSL excessive reservoir storage water year end
Bear River Basin 56%, 777,000 acre-feet
Jordan River Basin 76%, 1,003,000 acre-feet
Weber River Basin 52%, 283,200 acre-feet

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