Are there any rivers out of the Great Salt Lake?

Are there any rivers out of the Great Salt Lake? If so, why is it still salty? Shouldn't the salt have drained away by now?Are there any rivers out of the Great Salt Lake?
No rivers flow out of the lake.



Salt is a natural occurring compound in the ground. Since no rivers exit the GSL, it became, over time, higher in concentration than even the ocean. The area once contained Lake Bonneville which had a northern terminus in Hell's Canyon, along the Idaho/Oregon border where the Snake River flows. You can still see the signs of the shoreline up the hills sides of the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. A section of the natural boundary wall of the lake broke away - probably during an earthquake - and the majority of the water rushed north in a giant flood eventually joining the Columbia River and going into the Pacific.



The remaining water slowly evaporated to a much lower level. This formed the Bonneville Salt Flats which are west of the current lake. Salt is mined there and may very well be the source of the salt you have on your table. A few years ago the water level was rising again but with development around the lake, something had to be done. So pumps have been used to force the water out of the lake into the drainage area to the west. The only thing that lives in the lake is brine shrimp.



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Are there any rivers out of the Great Salt Lake?
No exits/outflow but only inflow and heavy evaporation
No, which is why it's so salty. Runoff tends to pick up various salts from the rocks and soils it travels over. When enough runoff ends up in a large basin with inadequate outlets, the resultant lake tends to concentrate the salts brought into it through evaporation. Although the streams and rivers that feed the great salt lake are not terribly salty, over time the buildup can become drastic.