Salt Lake City — Officials with Great Salt Lake Minerals (GSLM), which extracts sulfate of potash and other minerals from the northern part of Great Salt Lake, are not saying what, if any, changes they are expecting in their operation as the result of Union Pacific Railroad closing the only remaining culvert or opening in the railroad’s causeway that bisects the lake as a shortcut for trains between Utah and the West Coast. GSLM is a unit of Compass Minerals, Overland Park, Kan. A GSLM spokesman would say only that the situation is being watched closely. "We of course are following the UP causeway situation and will be monitoring salinity levels," he told Green Markets, referring to the situation. "GSLM has taken no formal position on the issue – it’s between the state/federal regulatory agencies and UP." Actually, the salinity of the lake has a lot to do with mineral extraction. The project is of acute interest to not just environmentalists, but also the $200 million minerals industry and the $100 million brine shrimp business, which authorities claim could face serious disruptions should the lake’s salinity levels fluctuate. The North Arm of the lake is high in salinity, while the other side is low. The culvert allowed the waters to mix. The 20-mile single-track causeway has been sinking into the lakebed for years, rendering its two major culverts unstable. The culvert closest to the west shore was filled last year while UP developed plans for a 180-foot-long bridge. This structure would span a new breach designed to replace the mixing function played by the culverts.
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