Famous American Salt Flats in Decline
2022-11-08
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1The Bonneville Salt Flats is a famous area of white salt crystals in the American state of Utah.
2The area is so flat that on some days, people say they can see the curvature of the Earth.
3The area has served as a place for racers to set land speed world records and for filmmakers to make movies like Independence Day and The World's Fastest Indian.
4But the ground of the area is growing thinner and thinner.
5Those who love the area are demanding changes to save it.
6In the last 60 years, the ground has become thinner by about one-third.
7And the area of the Salt Flats has shrunk to about half of its largest size in 1994.
8The Salt Flats has a special ground that keeps car tires cool at high speeds and provides a perfect surface for racing.
9But racers say it is difficult to find a space long enough to reach record speeds like they did many years ago.
10Recently, race organizers had to cancel "Speed Week" events scheduled for this autumn after the Salt Flats flooded and left racers without enough space to drive on.
11Research has shown that the salty water in the aquifer - the layer of rock or sand that holds water below the flats - is decreasing quickly.
12Scientists largely agree that years of aquifer use by nearby potash mining has been one cause behind the problem.
13Still, scientists say that there is no hard evidence that paying the mining company to return water to the area will solve the issue.
14This is because other human activities - such as taking other kinds of minerals and driving racecars - also have effects on the land.
15Officials are paying for a new study as they try to find a solution.
16Researchers are trying to understand why the salt is decreasing and what can be done to stop it.
17Under a $1 million research project headed by the Utah Geographical Study, scientists are gathering information to understand the effects that climate change, racing and mining have on the Salt Flats.
18Dennis Sullivan is a car builder and racer who set a land speed record in his 1927 Model T car.
19His group, the Salt Flats Racing Association, believes the potash mining company that takes minerals from the flats is the main reason for the aquifer decline.
20But he and other racers blame the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the area.
21To save the area, Sullivan says, the U.S. government needs to find $50 million over 10 years to pay Intrepid Potash, the mining company, to pour salty water it has drawn from the land back onto the flats.
22He does not like seeing more time and money spent on research when, to him, the solution is clear.
23"In the world I came from, you study something, you figure out what changes you need to make, you make the changes and then you go back and study it again to see if your changes had an effect on it," Sullivan said.
24Although racers say the answer is clear, scientists believe that there is no hard evidence that simply returning salty water will reverse the bad effects on the Flats.
25A 2016 study found that the areas most likely to thin were places where races are organized.
26In simple terms, races might change how water flows through the ground, said Jeremiah Bernau of the Utah Geological Survey.
27"Every use is going to have some sort of" effect on the land, Bernau suggested.
28He added, "My work is trying to understand how is that working and what are the actions that we can do in terms of helping to preserve this landscape."
29I'm Ashley Thompson.
1The Bonneville Salt Flats is a famous area of white salt crystals in the American state of Utah. The area is so flat that on some days, people say they can see the curvature of the Earth. 2The area has served as a place for racers to set land speed world records and for filmmakers to make movies like Independence Day and The World's Fastest Indian. 3But the ground of the area is growing thinner and thinner. Those who love the area are demanding changes to save it. 4Decline 5In the last 60 years, the ground has become thinner by about one-third. And the area of the Salt Flats has shrunk to about half of its largest size in 1994. 6The Salt Flats has a special ground that keeps car tires cool at high speeds and provides a perfect surface for racing. But racers say it is difficult to find a space long enough to reach record speeds like they did many years ago. Recently, race organizers had to cancel "Speed Week" events scheduled for this autumn after the Salt Flats flooded and left racers without enough space to drive on. 7Research has shown that the salty water in the aquifer - the layer of rock or sand that holds water below the flats - is decreasing quickly. 8Scientists largely agree that years of aquifer use by nearby potash mining has been one cause behind the problem. Still, scientists say that there is no hard evidence that paying the mining company to return water to the area will solve the issue. This is because other human activities - such as taking other kinds of minerals and driving racecars - also have effects on the land. 9Officials are paying for a new study as they try to find a solution. Researchers are trying to understand why the salt is decreasing and what can be done to stop it. Under a $1 million research project headed by the Utah Geographical Study, scientists are gathering information to understand the effects that climate change, racing and mining have on the Salt Flats. 10Debate 11Dennis Sullivan is a car builder and racer who set a land speed record in his 1927 Model T car. His group, the Salt Flats Racing Association, believes the potash mining company that takes minerals from the flats is the main reason for the aquifer decline. 12But he and other racers blame the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the area. 13To save the area, Sullivan says, the U.S. government needs to find $50 million over 10 years to pay Intrepid Potash, the mining company, to pour salty water it has drawn from the land back onto the flats. He does not like seeing more time and money spent on research when, to him, the solution is clear. 14"In the world I came from, you study something, you figure out what changes you need to make, you make the changes and then you go back and study it again to see if your changes had an effect on it," Sullivan said. 15Although racers say the answer is clear, scientists believe that there is no hard evidence that simply returning salty water will reverse the bad effects on the Flats. 16A 2016 study found that the areas most likely to thin were places where races are organized. In simple terms, races might change how water flows through the ground, said Jeremiah Bernau of the Utah Geological Survey. 17"Every use is going to have some sort of" effect on the land, Bernau suggested. He added, "My work is trying to understand how is that working and what are the actions that we can do in terms of helping to preserve this landscape." 18I'm Ashley Thompson. 19Sam Metz and Brady McCombs reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20__________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22curvature -n. : the amount that something is curved 23potash - n. a form of potassium that is used especially to improve soil or to make soap 24reverse - v. to change (something) to an opposite state or condition 25preserve - v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition 26landscape - n. an area of land that has a particular quality or appearance