Search for solutions drives race to save Utah salt flats
Associated Press
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State of Utah Department of Natural Resources geologists Paul Inkenbrandt, left, and Jeremiah Bernau walk along the Bonneville Salt Flats on Aug. 29, 2022, near Wendover, Utah. The glistening white salt of the world famous area is shrinking near the Utah-Nevada line. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)FILE - Cars form a line near the race track at the Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah, on Aug. 13, 2016. The crust keeps tires cool at high speeds and provides an ideal surface for racing unless seasonal flooding fails to recede or leaves behind an unstable layer of salt. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)Visitors watch the sunrise at the Bonneville Salt Flats on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, near Wendover, Utah. The prehistoric lakebed has long been a mecca for daredevil speed racers, as well as a backdrop for famous movie scenes and destination for selfie-seeking tourists. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)Record low water levels are observed at the Great Salt Lake marina Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, near Salt Lake City. Concerns are mounting about the future of the treeless expanse of salt crystals, and yet another study has been launched as researchers try to pinpoint the cause and solution. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)A state geologist collects data from a weather station in the Bonneville Salt Flats on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, near Wendover, Utah. The state is funding a study to determine if flooding the landscape with salty water helps maintain the size of the flats and combats the effects of climate change, mining and racecar driving. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)A visitor to Bonneville Salt Flats poses for photographs Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, near Wendover, Utah. The salt is thinning as climate change drags the West into its third decade of drought, yet it's unclear how that affects the seasonal flood patterns the landscape relies on to maintain its size and footprint. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)State biologists collects water samples in the Bonneville Salt Flats Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, near Wendover, Utah. The glistening white salt of the world famous area is shrinking near the Utah-Nevada line. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)Jeremiah Bernau, a Utah State biologist, holds salt crystals at the Bonneville Salt Flats on Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, near Wendover, Utah. The glistening white salt of the world famous area is shrinking near the Utah-Nevada line. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)Salt forms gather at the Bonneville Salt Flats on Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, near Wendover, Utah. The glistening white salt of the world famous area is shrinking near the Utah-Nevada line. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)Intrepid Potash pumps brine in to a canal at the Bonneville Salt Flats on Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, near Wendover, Utah. The mining company uses a process called solar evaporation mining, pumping water into the ground to dissolve minerals and then transporting it through canals to ponds where evaporation leaves behind a valuable potassium salt called potash. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)The Intrepid Potash canal is shown at the Bonneville Salt Flats on Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, near Wendover, Utah. Potash is potassium-based salt primarily used throughout the world as a fertilizer for crops such as corn, soy, rice and wheat. Its extracted in 13 countries throughout the world, mainly from prehistoric lakebeds like Bonneville's. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)FILE - A car rides along the Bonneville Salt Flats, near Wendover, Utah, on Aug. 13, 2016. The crust keeps tires cool at high speeds and provides an ideal surface for racing unless seasonal flooding fails to recede or leaves behind an unstable layer of salt. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)FILE - Captain George Eyston drives his Thunderbolt at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah on Nov. 6, 1937. The crust keeps tires cool at high speeds and provides an ideal surface for racing unless seasonal flooding fails to recede or leaves behind an unstable layer of salt. (AP Photo, File)FILE - The Blue Flame performs a test run just before at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, on Nov. 4, 1970. The crust keeps tires cool at high speeds and provides an ideal surface for racing unless seasonal flooding fails to recede or leaves behind an unstable layer of salt. (AP Photo, File)
State of Utah Department of Natural Resources geologists Paul Inkenbrandt, left, and Jeremiah Bernau walk along the Bonneville Salt Flats on Aug. 29, 2022, near Wendover, Utah. The glistening white salt of the world famous area is shrinking near the Utah-Nevada line. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
