![]() ![]() The racing association said the top layer of salt was once four feet thick, and is now in most places down to 1 inch. But the racing association said the leases don't require companies to put the leftover salt back. The process requires separating out the salt from the potash. More than 50 years ago, the BLM made deals with mining companies that use the land to get potash, a fertilizer. “It’s ludicrous to just keep studying it until you do something.Specifically, Sullivan blames the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the salt flats for the federal government. “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,” claimed racer and Salt Flats Racing Association leader Dennis Sullivan. ![]() However, authorities haven’t taken swift (enough) action for some critics. Several researchers and racing advocates point to nearby potash (potassium-based salt) mining operations for drawing too much brine from the aquifer. When groundwater dilutes the aquifer's mineral-rich brine, the evaporated crust offers less salt year over year.Ī sufficient salt layer not only provides a consistent racing surface but also moderates tire temperatures at high speeds. The issue is rooted in a rapidly-depleting nearby aquifer. As a result, the once 13-mile track has shrunk to just 8 miles. Researchers report that the Bonneville salt crust has thinned by nearly 30 percent over the past 60 years.
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