The Behrens Trench

This collection centered on the Behrens Trench captures one of the most engineered and revealing features of the Great Salt Lake—a 21-mile underwater canal built to move dense, mineral-rich brine from vast solar evaporation ponds to industrial processing sites. Beneath its still surface, the trench channels the lifeblood of Utah’s mineral industry, carrying the concentrated remnants of evaporation and extraction that feed the production of fertilizers, magnesium, and salt. Its existence has reshaped the lake’s chemistry and ecology, preserving sharp salinity divides while altering the flow and balance of its waters. In the Behrens Trench, the beauty of the lake and the ambition of industry converge—a haunting reminder of how deeply human enterprise is etched into the lake’s fragile body.