Great Salt Lake and the Colorado River: No Connection

The Great Salt Lake is a terminal (closed-basin) lake in Utah, USA. It has no natural outlet; water leaves only through evaporation. Its level fluctuates with precipitation and evaporation rates.

The Colorado River flows southwest through seven U.S. states and Mexico, emptying into the Gulf of California. Its course is hundreds of miles south of the Great Salt Lake basin. The two systems are hydrologically separate—the Colorado River has never drained into the Great Salt Lake.