FARMINGTON, Utah — The state of Utah is signing an agreement for a significant donation of water to the Great Salt Lake.
It's with a company that has faced some state scrutiny in the past over its water use and mineral extraction on the lake.
Compass Minerals has agreed to permanently donate more than 200,000 acre feet of water per year to benefit the Great Salt Lake, Utah's Department of Natural Resources confirmed. As part of the agreement, Compass Minerals has committed to managing its remaining water rights in the North Arm of the Great Salt Lake based on consumption caps tied to lake-level elevations.
“When lake levels are high, Compass can withdraw up to its existing water right, just as they could always do – but in years with lower lake levels, they have committed to decreasing their water use – or suspending it completely if the lake reaches the critical levels we experienced several years ago,” Jamie Barnes, director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, said in a statement. “They have also committed to permanently relinquish nearly 65,000 acres of leased land around the lake, withdrawing that land from future mineral leasing and returning it to the FFSL’s stewardship.”
Earlier this year, the legislature reworked how mineral extraction companies work on the Great Salt Lake. But the donation by the company is voluntary.
"The Great Salt Lake is a vital ecosystem and economic engine that we must all work to protect, and Compass Minerals stands with the many diverse stakeholders contributing toward the preservation of this globally significant resource,” said Compass Minerals CEO Edward C. Dowling Jr., in a statement. “Through this Voluntary Agreement, we commit to significant contributions toward lake health, while also ensuring future predictability in our water use allotment that supports sustainable production at our Ogden facility.”
This is a breaking news story. Updates on fox13now.com and FOX 13 News as information becomes available.
