Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Abby Ellis, The Lake details what will be the tragic end of the 11,000-year-old Great Salt Lake if something is not done about the “environmental nuclear bomb” threatening the health and well-being of the region’s 2.8 million residents.
The documentary centers around ecologists Ben Abbott and Bonnie Baxter, biologists who have been studying the lake for 27 years, and Great Lake Commissioner Brian Sneed, who, through reports, explains that the lake has lost over 70% of its water and about 60% of its surface area from the agricultural water use that mandated its diversion. Ellis’ seamless weaving of science with the Mormon faith of Abbott and Baxter gives the audience the opportunity to understand the detrimental effects of human consumption on natural phenomena, such as the Great Lake, which has forced Utah residents to consider leaving the home they’ve known for generations and relocating altogether, or waiting it out.
According to a report penned by Abbot and a team of 30 scientists, the Great Salt Lake is slated to disappear within the next five years without community and political intervention. For now, Abbot points to the disappearance of natural birdlife and the receding surface area as a cautionary tale of what’s to come. Baxter reports her own health concerns as a prelude to future events, as she explains the uptick in reports of cancer, respiratory, and reproductive health issues that result from the toxins that exist in the dried-out waterbeds, which are released into the air through dust storms and can sit for hours, landing in the lungs of the community. Sneed understands the issue and has been working tirelessly alongside Abbott and Baxter to support bringing answers to the community and a resolution to the Great Lake Issue.
With agriculture taking up 75-80% of Utah’s water resources, the argument becomes “Do you want food or do you want water?” We listen to farmers talk about the generational livelihood, and their desire to sustain, and balance it with science and community efforts to maintain their homes and stand against the big farms. In a situation that seems to be at a stalemate, Abbot reminds the room that “Faith lets us believe that we can do something that has never been done before.” With this belief, we see Abbot and Baxter continuously and, perhaps, relentlessly pushing the message of conservation through community engagements and raising awareness through continued reports and conservation proposals.
While the documentary takes the audience on a sombre ride detailing the reality of the declining health of the greater Salt Lake community, the eventual forced migration of the residents that have lived around the lake for generations, and erasure of the existence of the lake itself, we are given a glimpse of hope as we watch politicians and policy makers work together to name possible interventions.
Other Articles
No Comment! Be the first one.