The Great Salt Lake is an ecological gift meant to sustain this unique and beautiful region. It has been neglected and abused to its brink and inevitable collapse, unless the leaders of the state of Utah boldly do what is necessary.

I support the director of the Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control’s decision to deny a Class V Landfill Permit. Included in the many steps that must be taken to rescue our home, Promontory Point Resources must not be allowed to accept toxic waste in its landfill on the shores of Great Salt Lake. Contamination is likely and would have a devastating impact on the Great Salt Lake’s already collapsing ecosystem.

I spent many years moving across the US, unsatisfied by the living conditions and opportunities of these other states. When I visited Salt Lake City in 2018, I knew I had found a special place I could call home. Now that I’ve made SLC my home, connected with thriving communities, and explored the incredible landscapes and natural beauty of Utah, I am beyond devastated to realize the jeopardy the state’s decisions have put this special place in.

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It’s heartbreaking to know that the willful neglect of the region’s natural resources will not only wreak havoc on its ecosystem, but (more importantly) its residents. The people who will pay for the Lake’s exploitation will be Utahns and their descendants, paying with both their health and their lives. We are headed in the direction of Russia’s Aral Sea catastrophe, and I am only praying the leadership of this state is wiser than the short-sighted and exploitative Soviet-era leaders that led to the sickness and deaths of millions.

The Department of Environmental Quality must take full responsibility for the health of the lake and of our people and say NO to Promontory Point Resources plans to devastate the natural ecosystem.

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Rachel Helling

Salt Lake City