Salt Lake County residents, including those in Sandy, face the second-highest dust exposure in northern Utah from the shrinking Great Salt Lake, according to a new state-commissioned report released Tuesday, Sept. 15.

The report, "Options and Costs for Great Salt Lake Dust Control," was produced by University of Utah researchers and the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy. The Utah Division of Water Resources commissioned it as input for the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan, ABC4 Utah reported.

If the lake stays at current conditions through 2060, cumulative health costs would reach $5.79 billion. Restoring the lake to its historical average elevation would cut that figure to $1.89 billion.

At a baseline elevation of 4,192 feet used in the report, dust from the exposed lakebed is linked to roughly $115.79 million in annual health costs across northern Utah. That includes an estimated six premature deaths, 17,052 work-loss days and nearly 17,748 school absences each year. Only Tooele County ranked higher for average modeled dust exposure.

More than 800 square miles of lakebed have been exposed to potential wind erosion. Researchers identified 70 square miles as active dust hotspots. That figure could grow to 187 square miles if groundwater levels keep dropping or protective surface crusts break down.

Covering those 70 square miles with engineered dust controls would cost between $3.2 billion and $31 billion, depending on the method. Per-square-mile costs over 50 years range from about $3.3 million to $448 million, according to Phys.org. If hotspots expand to 187 square miles, those costs could nearly triple.

Approaches studied include surface wetting, flooding, brine caps, managed vegetation, chemical suppressants, gravel and tillage. No single method works for the entire lakebed.

Kevin Perry, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Utah and lead author of the report, said the state can target its spending. "That means using better data to identify the highest-risk areas, protecting communities that face the greatest exposure, stabilizing the lake wherever we can, and reserving engineered controls for places where the evidence shows they are necessary," Perry said.

Laura Vernon, Great Salt Lake Basin planner at the Utah Division of Water Resources, said the findings will shape long-term water management recommendations. She called delivering water to the lake the single most cost-effective way to suppress dust and prevent billions in taxpayer-funded mitigation.

The lake sat at roughly 4,190 feet as of early August, eight feet below the minimum target range set in the state's 2024 strategic plan, according to KUER. A separate National Bureau of Economic Research working paper released in September estimated Great Salt Lake dust generates $1.1 billion to $2.3 billion in annual health costs statewide, with effects detected up to 62 miles from the lake, according to Utah Business.

The report recommends completing the Utah Dust Observation and Research Network, developing a formal framework before major investments and prioritizing stabilization of existing hotspots before they expand. No timeline has been announced for finalizing the Basin Integrated Plan.