About 40 people packed a room at the Park City Library on Wednesday, July 22, for the launch of a local advocacy group warning that the Great Salt Lake's decline poses a direct threat to the Wasatch Back's ski economy and air quality.

The Greater Park City chapter of Grow the Flow, a statewide nonprofit pushing to increase water flow into the lake, is calling on Utahns to cut water use by 30%. Co-chair Cathy Van Dyke told KPCW's "Local News Hour" on Thursday, July 23, that reduction would give the lake a 50-50 chance of recovery.

"Probably 10 to 15% of our snowfall is because of the lake," Van Dyke said. "Not only that, if the dust storms increase, and that's already happened to a degree, you get dust that settles on the snow. So, the length of the ski season has changed simply because snow melts faster because the dust is darker."

The chapter launch comes as state leaders have already committed resources to the problem. In September 2025, Gov. Spencer Cox, House Speaker Mike Schultz and Senate President Stuart Adams signed the "Great Salt Lake 2034 Charter," a $200 million public-private partnership aimed at restoring the lake before the 2034 Winter Olympics. Independent estimates put the full cost of a rescue between $2 billion and $5 billion over the next decade, according to Grow the Flow.

Van Dyke argues those state dollars aren't enough and that the ski revenues Park City depends on are at risk if lake-effect snowfall keeps declining. Utah's ski industry generated more than $2.5 billion in skier spending during the 2024-25 season, producing $342 million in state and local tax revenue, according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Salt Lake, Summit and Weber counties combined for $668 million in accommodation sales that season.

No local government action is pending on the group's proposal. The 30% reduction target is the group's own figure; Van Dyke did not cite a specific scientific study during her radio appearance.

The health concerns are more immediate. More than 55% of the Great Salt Lake's lakebed is now exposed, with the lake sitting at about 33% of its natural water volume, according to a July 16 report in the Daily Utah Chronicle citing state researchers. A dust storm blew down the Wasatch Front on Wednesday, July 8. Dust from the exposed lakebed contains heavy metals, industrial mining runoff and residual pesticides from a century of mining activity, according to KPCW's reporting. Utah's Division of Air Quality is installing eight new dust monitors near the lake, with more than 20 planned over five years.

BYU ecology professor Ben Abbott founded Grow the Flow in 2022. The nonprofit has since opened chapters across Utah.

Van Dyke's conservation pitch to Park City residents is simple: water your lawns less. "Gold is the new green," she said. "Let your lawn be golden instead of green."

The Greater Park City chapter meets next on Monday, August 24, in the Park City Library community room. Residents can reach the group at [email protected].