This is your daily news rundown for Wednesday, Jan. 21. In this edition:
- A new tool can tell you what areas have the worst exposure to Great Salt Lake dust
- The controversial Northern Corridor highway is approved for construction
- The Sundance Film Festival is opening in Utah this week for the last time
Wondering what areas have the worst exposure to lakebed dust? This tool can tell you
A new tool could help Utahns track their exposure to lakebed dust from Great Salt Lake.
As the lake’s water levels continue to drop, more of its lakebed is exposed — and along with it, toxic dust that can be blown into the air around the lake and into nearby communities.
Researchers from the University of Utah developed an online tool that can tell people where the areas with the highest exposure risk are.
So far, the tool has found that the most susceptible areas are around the Farmington Bay region and Davis County.
Great Salt Lake currently sits at about 4,191 feet, which is 6.5 feet below its minimum healthy water level.
The controversial Northern Corridor highway has been approved for construction
A controversial highway in southern Utah has been approved for construction.
The proposed Northern Corridor highway would connect Washington City more directly with northern St. George — but it would also cut through part of the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, included protected habitat for desert tortoises.
The highway was rejected under a previous president for environmental issues, then reconsidered by the Trump administration.
Now, the Bureau of Land Management has announced it approved the plan to build the highway, scrapping an alternative plan to instead upgrade the Red Hills Parkway.
Washington County officials said the decision included adding environmental protections for nearly 7,000 acres, known as Zone 6.
Sundance Film Festival is opening in Utah for the last time
On Thursday, the Sundance Film Festival will open for the last time in Park City, Utah.
Over the next week and a half, the festival will feature films ranging from documentaries to episodic stories to worldwide dramas.
It will also honor the legacy of the festival’s decades in Park City and its founder, Robert Redford, who died in September.
Award winners will be announced on Jan. 30, and for those who can’t attend in person, there will be paid online screenings from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1.
Next year, Sundance will head to its new home in Boulder, Colorado.
