Complex geology, seismicity, broad shallow bathymetry, and a large range of historic water level fluctuations in the lake pose significant seismic and wind induced flooding hazards, including tsunami and seiche.
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Swimming in the Great Salt Lake is safe despite contaminants, researchers say - Axios Salt Lake City.
The precipitous drop in water levels, which has shrunk the Great Salt Lake's footprint by half in the last decades, stems from a two-fold problem: Climate change has decimated the mountain streams that feed the lake, while demand for that same freshwater has ballooned for new development, agriculture and industry.
Since the bed of the Great Salt Lake holds high levels of dangerous particles like arsenic, antimony, copper, zirconium, and various heavy metals. If a wind storm were to occur, it could transmit those toxic particles into the lungs of residents.
The shallow bottom of Great Salt Lake supports a microbial carpet that harness the sun's energy through the process of photosynthesis. This carpet is made up of a community of microbes, including several types of cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae), algae and other organisms.
The state of Utah owns basically most of the Great Salt Lake, including Antelope Island, Fremont Island, Gunnison Island, the Ogden and Farmington bay wetland areas, along with the entire lakebed.