Rush of water to Great Salt Lake means boats can return to marina

SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah — Utah residents are celebrating as the Great Salt Lake Marina boat ramps reopened Tuesday due to water returning to the bay.

“We’ve got water!” said an excited Chris Haramoto, the northern regional manager for Utah State Parks. “As you can see, there is water inside the marina, which is a big thing from what we had last summer.”

The pictures from the end of summer 2022 tell the story of how dry the area got. All that was left was dirt and mud where the boats once sat. Overall the lake dropped to historic lows.

Hey look at that – Water! Great Salt Lake Boat Ramp back open. Today vs Last Summer pic.twitter.com/R7VgCRaYOC

— Dan Rascon (@TVDanRascon) April 18, 2023

The dozens of boats that did sit in the stalls all had to be pulled out. They now sit in the parking lot of the marina. With this week’s announcement that the docks are back open, owners were anxious to get them back in the water.

“This is a great sign. This means our boating community can start looking forward to getting their boats back on the lake again. The Great Salt Lake is a beautiful lake and maybe a little unutilized when it comes to boating as well. So, it’s a great opportunity for them to come back on the lake,” Haramoto said.

The park manager of the marina is predicting the lake could see as much as a 6-foot rise, which will definitely bring new life to the Marina this summer.

“It’s a significant amount of water, and from all projections, it looks like a lot more will be coming. That’s a great sign for the Great Salt Lake,” Haramoto expressed.