SALT LAKE CITY — A "strike team" convened to help give Utah's political leaders advice on how best to help the Great Salt Lake is urging increased conservation and dedicated water to the lake.
The Great Salt Lake Strike Team is made up of researchers from the University of Utah and Utah State University and state agencies. They provide input on the health of the lake and make recommendations to the governor and members of the Utah State Legislature. On Wednesday, they issued a major report with recommendations to help the Great Salt Lake.
"Human and natural consumptive water use explain over two-thirds of low lake levels. Other smaller contributing factors include natural precipitation variability and climate warming. Human water use is not only the largest contributing factor for Great Salt Lake’s decline, but also the only factor that can be changed in the near term," the report said.
The Great Salt Lake is at its lowest level in recorded history, as a result of water diversion, drought and a changing climate. The lake's decline has presented an ecological and economic crisis for northern Utah. The shrinking lake impacts Utah's snowpack, toxic dust storms impact population centers. The lake is a refuge for millions of migratory birds and other wildlife, as well as over $1 billion in economic impact to the state.
"I think we have pretty stark choices in front of us. If we don’t make these choices, we are really going to face consequences. I think they’re difficult, but not insurmountable," said Brian Steed, the director of the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water & Air at Utah State University and a member of the strike team.
The strike team recommends lawmakers set a target goal for the Great Salt Lake's level from 4,198-4,205-feet. It's something the legislature rejected in a resolution put forward by Sen. Nate Blouin, D-Salt Lake City. Lawmakers have faced criticism for some bills aimed at protecting the lake not passing this legislative session.
"I think looking at what is the target that we’re shooting for, to begin making headway moving forward with conservation as a basis of that and translating that into what are the results we’re seeing in the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. That’s where the rubber meets the road — or where the water meets the lake," said Lynn de Freitas, the director of Friends of Great Salt Lake.
The strike team's report called for policy makers to commit conserved water to the Great Salt Lake itself, especially in wet years like we are experiencing now.
"Committing conserved water to the lake is a fundamental policy lever that is crucial for many other policies to function effectively," it said.
It also supported new tech to help farmers save water and still grow crops, expanding cloud-seeding, consider increasing water rates to push conservation, limiting municipal and industrial water use growth, and take advantage of leasing water rights for the lake itself.
"Thinning Utah’s forests is not likely to substantially increase the amount of water reaching the GSL . Although thinning can improve forest health and reduce the risk of severe wildfire, it does not always increase streamflow," the report said, pushing back on an idea being advanced in some circles.
The report also said a pipeline to the Great Salt Lake is "feasible," but slow and expensive.
"Based on similar completed projects, the total cost could exceed $100 billion for the studies, design, and construction of a pipeline, depending on the route chosen," it said.
The strike team supported something Governor Spencer Cox has already done — raising the causeway berm. The report said toxic dust storms have been increasing in frequency and severity as the lake has dried up.
The Utah State Legislature has responded by committing millions of dollars and passing bills for water conservation efforts and getting water into the lake. House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, told FOX 13 News previously he wanted to see $600 million spent this year on water and the lake. Governor Spencer Cox told FOX 13 News he would not let the Great Salt Lake dry up on his watch.
But Senate Republican leaders defended their decision not to advance a resolution. They also said that policies on water can't be centered around the Great Salt Lake at the cost of other things.
"I don’t think the lake can take a priority over someone's tap turning on and having water in it. I don’t think the lake can take priority over having self-sustaining food here in our state," said Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton. "I think it’s an ecosystem holistically in the Great Salt Lake Basin. That we have to take into account all of those other needs."
On Wednesday, lawmakers prioritized spending $200 million for agriculture optimization, which is new technologies to help farmers grow crops with less water.
Gov. Cox said he supported the findings and recommendations.
"This joint effort between the state and our expert research institutions is exactly the kind of science-based information we need to protect the Great Salt Lake," he told FOX 13 News in a statement. "The solutions are sound policy recommendations and we look forward to working with the Legislature and others to implement them."
Chandler Rosenberg with Save Our Great Salt Lake said the legislature needs to move faster.
"Their number one recommendation is set a target level, some sort of goal, and the legislature’s already thrown that away," she said.
While the situation facing the Great Salt Lake is dire, Utah Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Joel Ferry said there is hope.
"We have an opportunity if we are willing, as a people... to make a few changes. Some of them are big changes, but to make changes in our lives, how we use, interact, how we grow," he said.
Candice Hasenyager, the director of Utah's Division of Water Resources and a member of the strike team, said it will take every Utahn making some choices to conserve water to help the lake. That view was shared by Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City.
"All us Utahns have to come together. Realize the legislature is not going to fix this on our own, and it’s going to require everyone to do our part," she said.
Read the report here:
This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake—and what can be done to make a difference before it is too late. Read all of our stories at greatsaltlakenews.org.
