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The Great Salt Lake, America's largest natural lake west of the Mississippi River, has reached its lowest levels in recorded history.
大盐湖——美国最大的天然湖泊，位于密西西比河以西，已经达到了有记录以来的最低水位。
Officials and lawmakers in Utah say the state needs to take serious measures to prevent further drops in lake levels.
犹他州官员和立法者表示，该州需要采取严厉的措施来防止该湖泊水位进一步下降。
The current state of the Great Salt Lake follows severe dry conditions affecting Utah and other western states.
在严重的干旱环境影响犹他州和其他西部州之后，大盐湖出现了目前的状况。
Water has also been taken from the lake to supply homes and crops in Utah, one of the nation's fastest growing states.
犹他州是美国增长最快的州之一，人们也从该湖里取水来供应家庭用水和浇灌庄稼。
Utah is also one of the driest American states, but has high water usage rates.
犹他州也是美国最干旱的州之一，但用水率很高。
The severe drop in lake levels has raised concerns in the state about harmful dust, environmental damage and economic problems.
湖泊水位的严重下降引起了该州对有害粉尘、环境破坏和经济问题的关注。
Further water loss is expected to present serious risks to millions of migrating birds.
进一步的水流失预计将会对数百万只候鸟构成严重威胁。
It could also hurt a lake-based economy estimated to be worth $1.3 billion.
这也可能会对以湖泊为基础的经济造成损害，估计损失价值为13亿美元。
Economic activities include the production of minerals and brine shrimp and recreation.
经济活动包括矿物和盐水虾的生产和娱乐活动。
Health experts also fear that a dry lakebed could send poisonous dust into the air that millions of people breathe.
健康专家还担心，干涸的湖床可能会将有毒灰尘释放到数百万人呼吸的空气中。
Utah Governor Spencer Cox has proposed spending $46 million to help solve the Great Salt Lake problems.
犹他州州长斯宾塞·考克斯提议花费4600万美元帮助解决大盐湖问题。
Top lawmakers have also supported major spending to improve lake conditions.
最高立法者也支持为改善湖泊状况而投入大量资金。
One proposal would seek to restrict water use in homes and businesses.
其中一项提案试图限制家庭和企业用水。
Another would pay farmers for sharing their water.
另一项提案是向农民支付分享他们的水的费用。
A third would direct money from mineral production activities to programs aimed at improving the lake.
还有一项提案是把来自矿物生产活动的资金用于旨在改善湖泊的项目上。
"I long took for granted the lake. It's always been there, and I've assumed it always would be there," House speaker Brad Wilson told a special meeting held to discuss the issue.
众议院议长布拉德·威尔逊在为讨论这一问题而举行的特别会议上表示：“我一直认为大盐湖的存在是理所当然的。它一直在那里，我认为它会一直在那里。”
But learning about the lake's worsening position over the summer left him afraid.
当他得知这个夏天这片湖泊的情况越来越糟时，他感到害怕。
"The Great Salt Lake is in trouble. We have to do something," Wilson said.
威尔逊说：“大盐湖有麻烦了。我们必须要做点什么。”
Zach Frankel is director of the nonprofit Utah Rivers Council.
扎克·弗兰克尔是非营利组织犹他州河流委员会的主任。
He told The Associated Press he thinks major action is needed in order to save the Great Salt Lake.
他告诉美联社，他认为为了拯救大盐湖，需要采取重大措施。
"It's not going to do it with baby steps. These are tiny baby steps that should have been taken 20 years ago," Frankel said.
弗兰克尔说：“这不是慢慢来解决的。20年前就应该开始采取这些措施了。”
The lower lake levels have led to reductions in underwater structures that contain microorganisms that brine shrimp depend on for food.
较低的湖泊水位导致水下结构的减少，这些结构中含有盐水虾赖以生存的微生物。
The shrimp support a multimillion-dollar industry that supplies food for fish farms.
这些虾支撑着一个价值数百万美元的产业，该产业为养鱼场提供食物。
It also provides nutrients to millions of migrating birds that can show up on radar.
它还为雷达上出现的数百万只候鸟提供营养物质。
The Great Salt Lake is also the nation's biggest source of magnesium and could soon provide lithium, a key mineral for making batteries.
大盐湖也是美国最大的镁源，而且不久可能会为美国提供锂，锂是制造电池的一种关键矿物。
But last year the lake matched a 170-year record low and kept dropping.
但去年，该湖的水位达到了170年来的最低水平，并还在持续下降。
It hit a new low of 1,277.2 meters in October.
去年10月，它创下了1277.2米的新低。
As a result, a large amount of the microorganisms necessary for the health of brine shrimp were damaged by air.
结果，大量盐水虾健康所需的微生物被空气破坏了。
The die-off will likely take years to repair even if they are fully covered with water again, said Michael Vanden Berg.
迈克尔·范登·伯格说，即使它们重新被水完全覆盖，死去的生物也可能需要数年时间才能恢复。
He is a Utah state geologist.
他是犹他州的一名地质学家。
If the water levels continue to drop, the lake could get too salty for the microorganisms to survive.
如果水位继续下降，湖水可能会变得太咸，微生物无法生存。
This has already happened in the bright pink waters of the lake's northern arm.
该湖北岸亮粉色的水域已经发生了这种情况。
Still, Vanden Berg is still hopeful about the southern arm, where a part of the microorganisms did survive last year's lake drop.
尽管如此，范登·伯格仍然对该湖南岸抱有希望，去年湖水水位下降时，那里的微生物确实有一部分存活下来了。
"It's bad but not catastrophic yet," he said.
他说：“情况很糟糕，但还不是灾难性的”。
"There is still time to fix and mitigate the situation."
“还有时间来修复和缓解这种情况。”
I'm Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
