Tonnage and numbers not withstanding, I'm still not clear as to where the water Intrepid is using to return salt to the flats is coming from. If the method they are using is pumping freshwater from wells and aquifers and turning it into brine in order to transport salt from south of I-80 to the flats, it raises a question about that being sustainable.
I think I'm cautioning that if indeed, fresh well water is being utilized in this transfer system, and it gets to the point that freshwater levels are being negatively impacted, that would put a complete stop to the pumping project, and we're the ones who will get labeled as the bad guys.
Conversely, if a water collection and retention system could be built utilizing runoff from the mountains, it might prevent additional mud from reaching the salt and supply a transport medium to return salt to the flats.
Of course, the immense scale of the salt flats means engineering an environmentally sound plumbing solution that meets everyone's needs is going to be hugely expensive, with no guarantee of success.