Great Salt Lake Sailfest may be the last as water levels drop

SALT LAKE CITY— The Great Salt Lake Sailfest is gearing up for a big weekend, but this year’s celebration may be its last — at least for a while.

Water levels peaked for the season and are expected to drop by about two feet by the end of the summer. That decline could force sailboats out of the marina, threatening the future of the annual Great Salt Lake Sailfest event.

“I love when the wind catches my sail and I feel nature all around me,” said Tony Lucero, a sailor who traveled from Florida to launch his boat on the lake. “It’s sad. It’s sad. I’ve been coming to this lake for well over 20 years and I’ve watched it drop and drop again.”

Great Salt Lake Sailfest to bring people to lake

Lucero is one of many sailing enthusiasts expected to take to the lake this Saturday for a day of live music, food trucks, and outdoor recreation.

“It’s a really awesome mixed bag of opportunities for people to come out and recreate on the lake,” said Jake Dreyfous, the managing director of Grow the Flow, the nonprofit that helped organize the event.

“We’re sad to report, you know, this is likely the last Sailfest until we get the lake back to a healthy level again,” Dreyfous said.

Laura Vernon with the Utah Division of Water Resources echoed the concern. While the lake rose about two feet this year — an average increase — it’s not enough to reverse the long-term decline.

“To just think about that happening again [pulling the boats out of the marina]  is pretty upsetting,” Vernon said. “But I’m optimistic that we can, together with our partners, make some good choices and get this water to the lake.”

For now, the event goes on. And for sailors like Lucero, every moment on the water counts.

“As long as it’s still here, I’m going to enjoy it,” he said.

Great Salt Lake Sailfest is free to visit. Visitors can park at the marina for a fee or park for free at Saltair and take a complimentary shuttle to the event. Organizers encourage everyone to come out and enjoy what could be the final chapter of a cherished Utah tradition.

More Great Salt Lake reading: 

• Here’s what it takes to restore Great Salt Lake back to healthy levels
• Utah division seeks Great Salt Lake research proposals