History of Lake Urmia

e"> The highly saline environment is already heavily rusting the steel on the bridge despite anti-corrosion treatment. Experts have warned that the construction of the causeway and bridge, together with a series of ecological factors, will eventually lead to the drying up of the lake, turning it into a salt marsh which will directly affect the climate of the region. Lake Urmia has been shrinking for a long time, with an annual evaporation rate of 0.6m to 1m (24 to 39 inches). Although measures are now being taken to reverse the trend the lake has shrunk by 60 percent and could disappear entirely. 

On August 2, 2012, Mohammad Javad Mohammadzadeh, the head of Iran's Environment Protection Organization, announced that Armenia have agreed on transferring water from Armenia to counter the critical fall in Lake Oroumiyeh's water levels, remarking that "hot weather and a lack of precipitation have brought the lake to its lowest water levels ever recorded." He added that recovery plans for the lake include the transfer of water from Eastern Azerbaijan Province. (Previously, Iranian authorities had announced a plan to transfer water from the Aras River, which borders Iran and Republic of Azerbaijan. But that country objected, and the 950-billion-touman plan was scrapped).