SALT LAKE CITY — Utah officials have already poured tens of millions of dollars toward Great Salt Lake preservation efforts in recent years, but the lake — which hit an all-time low in 2022 — is about to get a boost from the federal government.
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton announced Monday that the federal agency will direct $50 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds toward Great Salt Lake-related conservation projects. Funding will be matched by $50 million from Utah, according to the bureau.
"This funding will go to our partners in the state to enhance ongoing agricultural and municipal conservation efforts in the Great Salt Lake basin," she said. "This investment will help slow the decline of a very valuable resource that is the Great Salt Lake."
The additional $50 million from the state consists of money either already directed to the lake from the Utah Legislature or money that will go toward lake projects, said Joel Ferry, director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. Utah dedicated $40 million toward water leasing efforts in 2022, leading to the creation of the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust.
Combined, the federal and state money is expected to be spent on a mix of uses, including permanent water rights purchases and split-season leases, where farmers or ranchers use some water but send partial rights to the lake through a monetary agreement. Money will also be used on projects that improve water flow into the lake or the lake's ecosystem.
Utah officials said the announcement marks what is believed to be the biggest federal investment in the Great Salt Lake.
"This a very important day for Utah," Gov. Spencer Cox said during an event at the Utah Capitol on Monday. "It underscores the commitment that the state of Utah has to the Great Salt Lake but also our federal partner's commitment to the Great Salt Lake."
A US problem?
The Great Salt Lake's decline is generally attributed to overconsumption of its tributaries and years of drought. Its decline to an all-time low two years ago opened up environmental concerns tied to its dust, as well as concerns for the millions of waterfowl that rely on the lake, the mineral extraction industry and the brine shrimp economy.
While the lake's economic value to Utah is estimated to be about $1.9 billion, Cox said he pleaded to federal officials that it's more than just a Utah problem.
"It's a regional problem — and it's a United States problem," he said. "We know that the impacts of the lake drying up will be far greater than just the greater Salt Lake area."
An American avocet skims the surface of the water in search of food at the Great Salt Lake near Magna on Sept. 24. Over 10 million migratory birds rely on the lake every year. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
Federal agencies seem to agree. Monday's announcement follows a smaller grant from the Bureau of Reclamation toward the lake.
The U.S. Geological Survey showcased one of its new 13 stream gauges installed near the Great Salt Lake during an event last month. The agency received $3 million from the bureau — through a different grant — to add the gauges along with new buoys. Combined, the gear is expected to help experts better track water flow into the lake and summertime evaporation.
Touton, who came to Utah to make the announcement and tour the lake with state officials, said the bureau opted to direct the funds to the state because of how quickly the money can be used toward conservation efforts. The money comes from a specific portion of the Inflation Reduction Act that allocated $4 billion toward water conservation and ecosystem projects within water basins like the Great Salt Lake that have experienced long-term drought.
Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton speaks as she joins Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox, Utah Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Joel Ferry, Great Salt Lake Commissioner Brian Steed and other state leaders to hold a press conference in the gold room at the Capitol in Salt Lake City to announce an investment from the Inflation Reduction Act to benefit the Great Salt Lake on Monday. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
The Office of the Great Salt Lake reported last month that it secured nearly 70,000 acre-feet in water donations and purchases, a vast majority of which were acquired through help from the enhancement trust. Both the trust and office are still negotiating with water users to acquire more water for the lake while also working with various state agencies on conservation projects like phragmites removal and dam improvements.
The federal funding provides a boost to both of those efforts.
"It's ready to go," Touton said. "We're ready to put this funding out there, and it'll immediately make an impact on the ecosystem and certainly the community around the Great Salt Lake."
Adding to progress
The Great Salt Lake's southern arm is currently listed at 4,192.2 feet elevation, 3 feet below its peak this June but nearly 4 feet above where it was this time two years ago. Its northern arm is back to 4,191.6 feet elevation, which is over 2 feet above its peak last year as it refills from water flowing through a breach separating the two sides.
Great Salt Lake Commissioner Brian Steed said the lake is currently between "crisis" and where the state would like it to be, which is at least 4,198 feet elevation. However, he and other state officials said they're confident that newer laws in place will help prevent the lake from ever reaching its low point again.
Funding for various projects tied to the new federal funding will be based on which projects are ready to be implemented right away, adding to efforts already underway. In a statement, Marcelle Shoop, executive director of the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust, said the organization is "excited" for "substantial federal investment" toward water resiliency that can protect the lake.
"The Great Salt Lake is something that matters to Utah, and this is a big step in the right direction," Ferry added.
