On June 27, 2025, Governor Cox declared a day of prayer and fasting for rain as drought conditions intensify across Utah. This drought is exacerbating Utah’s chronic water overuse, leaving the Great Salt Lake in distress. The lake now sits at 4,192 feet, six feet under its minimum healthy level. Our lake is quite literally six feet under. Governor Cox and the state Legislature’s inaction are digging it a deeper grave.
In addition to requesting prayers, the governor asked Utahns to “do our part” and use less water. However, these gestures notably came without policy measures to supply the Great Salt Lake with the additional 1 million acre feet of water that it needs annually. The at-home interventions that Cox proposed are important, but they are no substitute for meaningful policy incentives and comprehensive agricultural reform that we need. Without real action, our lives, ecosystems and futures are at risk.
I hold Governor Cox accountable because he has power to enact meaningful change, and we deserve so much more from him than prayers. Nobody has ever saved a drying saline lake. Utah has a chance to be the first.
Autumn Featherstone, organizer with Utah Youth Environmental Solutions
Sandy