Government efforts good, but more needed to save the Great Salt Lake

In mid-March, before the record heat wave in Utah, the Great Salt Lake was at 36.1% of its desired water level. That day, it was more than 6 feet below its minimum healthy water level of 4,198 feet. Over 53% of the lakebed was exposed (1,150 square miles), and its salinity was 11.9% (12-16% is considered ideal for brine shrimp).

In other words, the GSL was, and still is, in serious trouble. Reserving that trend and educating Utahns and the world about ways to prevent that pending disaster is Grow the Flow, a citizen-led movement that unites science with facts and civic action to address the issue. The team monitors all facets of the lake daily, continues to update its website (growtheflowutah.org) with latest developments, and seeks the public’s engagement in efforts to save the lake before it’s too late.

The GSL was a big topic of discussion during the recently completed Utah State Legislature, and the good news is that the Grow the Flow team was for the most part optimistic about this year’s session.

“By and large, it was the most productive session that I’ve been a part of,” said Jake Dreyfous, managing director of the organization. “Some of the biggest levels of improvement came from focusing on making it easier for farmers to lease water to the Great Salt Lake and expediting that process.”

He pointed to two bills—HB 348 and HB 410—sponsored by Rep. Jill Koford (R-Ogden). The first addressed dedicated water amendments and the second water leasing agreements. Both passed and were sent to Gov. Spencer Cox for his signature.

“These bills create a process to file a dedicated water right and tell the state engineer that they need to prioritize the processing of change applications,” Dreyfous said. “Where before a single lease agreement could take six months or even a year to process, this cuts that down to six weeks and no more than three months. That’s a big step forward to make sure farmers can make informed decisions to lease their water and be financially compensated for a single irrigation season.”

He said large progress was also made with the increased engagement from the federal government.

“We saw President Trump proclaim his support for Great Salt Lake restoration,” Dreyfous said. “That led to the passing of a concurrent resolution from the state legislature on the last day that explicitly outlines the scope and scale of the problem and the impact it stands to have on the lake. It affects millions of Utah businesses and homes, public health from the increase in dust pollutants, the importance of this migratory bird flyway and ecosystem for 10 million migratory birds, and the role the lake plays in the production of critical minerals and food security. The extraction of things like potassium sulfate, lithium and magnesium where, in a lot of cases, the Great Salt Lake is the only domestic source. We’ve made it clear to our federal delegation that we can’t solve this problem alone—we need federal support and coordination.”

Trump intimated a $200-million pledge from the federal government. The state of Utah will seek $1 billion from the feds for the lake. Neither action has been taken thus far.

Another huge achievement was the state’s acquisition of U.S. Magnesium in January, The approved $30-million purchase gives the state control over 4,500 acres of land and extensive water rights.

“That’s very massive in terms of both water quantity and air quality perspectives,” Dreyfous said. “Historically speaking, U.S. Mag has been the source of 20% of our winter inversion pollution in the Salt Lake Valley. The state’s purchased water rights, 40-60,000 acre feet of water, will now stay in the lake.”

He said the legislature’s approval of a settlement agreement between Utah and the federal government allowing transfer of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge will net the state $60 million. That money is earmarked for GSL conservation efforts, $10 million available this year and the remaining $50 million that will require future appropriations from lawmakers. Dreyfous is confident that future money will be set aside for the lake.

But he added there were some missed opportunities this year on Capitol Hill, particularly on the municipal conservation front. 

“We had really strong policies focused on limiting the use of thirsty grass landscapes in new development within the Great Salt Lake Basin,” he said. “There were policies that would have mandated watering ordinances across the Basin, and set more aggressive water pricing to conserve. Where we took our eyes off the ball this year was to insure the growth of water wise programs to help us conserve.”

At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, a documentary from director, editor and cinematographer Abby Ellis, who now lives in Utah and was titled “The Lake,” centered on the challenges faced by the GSL. Its showings received standing ovations and it won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact for Change. It profiled three people: microbiologist Bonnie Baxter, ecologist and BYU associate professor Ben Abbott, and the state’s Great Salt Lake commissioner Brian Steed, and it painted a poignant picture of the lake’s pending demise if strong, aggressive action isn’t taken to preserve it. The film will be shown at other festivals around the country this year.

Dreyfous said community engagement is now more important than ever, and that large financial donations to clean up waters and expand leasing programs are critical to helping get more water into the lake.

“Investing in water conservation is investing in future growth and prosperity for your city or town,” he said. “Actions on the state level will trickle down to the local level. A common sense regulation from the state’s population, like waiting a few weeks before turning on our sprinklers and cutting down watering by maybe a third, would help. The most cost-effective proven solution that we can do as individuals is conservation.”