Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Tuesday 11 april 2017

Boats left high and dry by drought back on Great Salt Lake

MICHELLE L. PRICE about three to five times
Associated Press saltier than the ocean. It’s
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Doz- a harsh environment for
ens of beached sailboats most creatures outside of
that spent two years on the salt-loving brine shrimp, but
shore of Utah’s drought- the mineral-packed lake is
stricken Great Salt Lake a sailing haven.
were hoisted on cranes The dense water isn’t easily
back into the briny waters whipped up by wind, keep-
Thursday after winter storms ing it calm for sailboats glid-
raised lake levels. ing across.
“Mother Nature has been “It’s just like sailing across
very kind to us,” said Janet glass,” Robins said.
Robins, the commodore The state-run marina,
of the 140-year-old Great about 20 miles (32 kilome-
Salt Lake Yacht Club, ters) west of Utah’s capital
comprised of the self-pro- city, sits on the lake’s south-
claimed “world’s saltiest ern shore and offers about
sailors.” 300 slips for boat owners to
Robins and other sailors rent and park their boats.
watched and helped on After an unusually high
the docks Thursday as sail- snowpack six years ago
boats, one at a time, were raised water levels 5 feet A sailboat is hoisted into the Great Salt Lake Thursday, April 6, 2017, about 20 miles west of Salt
Lake City.
raised from their high and (1.5 meters), water levels Associated Press
dry purgatory in the marina dropped, skirting historic
parking lot, carried across lows in recent years. cause it’s difficult to trans- water. gene Swalberg said.
the sky on a crane and Most of the 175 boats wait- port long sailboats, with But then a wet winter raised The state this week start-
lowered into the water. ing ashore on trailers and their masts and extended water levels about 2 feet ed work on a $1.5 million
The Great Salt Lake, about cradles were removed the keels, across Utah to other (60 centimeters), and 2017 dredging project to re-
75 miles long (120 kilome- two years ago, when their lakes, where sailors would is shaping up to be another move silt buildup in the
ters) and 30 miles wide (50 keels had a tough time contend with less-than- high water year, according marina. Dave Shearer, the
kilometers), is America’s navigating the few feet of ideal waters, more drought to Cory Angeroth, a hydrol- harbor master at the ma-
largest outside of the Great water at the mouth of the and waiting lists for a space ogist with the U.S. Geologi- rina, expected the crane
Lakes on the Canadian marina. at the dock. cal Survey. crews, sailors and volun-
border and its waters are Most stayed ashore be- LeRoy Carter, who lives in Angeroth said snow in the teers would be able to
the nearby city of Tooele, nearby mountains will melt get 55 boats in Thursday,
said the recent drought through July, and that before wind or darkness
was the most serious he runoff will keep feeding ended the day’s work. He
can remember in his 44 the thirsty lake and raise hoped about 120 remain-
years of sailing the lake. the water level a few feet ing boats on shore can be
“We’re subject to the more. back on the water in the
whims of nature,” Carter State officials estimate coming weeks.
said as he took a break on Utah missed out on collect- “It’s a big deal,” Shearer
the docks Thursday, help- ing roughly $450,000 in slip said. “People are happy
ing to unload boats from rental fees since 2015, Utah that we’ve had one hell of
the crane as they hit the State Parks spokesman Eu- a good winter.”q