Utah residents are willing to pay up to $144 annually per household to help maintain the Great Salt Lake at a healthy level, according to research conducted by economics professors at Weber State University. The study surveyed 1,050 Utah residents in August 2025 to determine how much the public values the lake's preservation.
Professors Matt Gnagey and Therese Cavlovic, alongside Earth & Environmental Sciences associate professor Carie Frantz, led the survey. The research aimed to quantify the value Utahns place on the lake, encompassing both the economic benefits and the intrinsic value of preserving the resource for future generations. Cavlovic noted that the lake's value includes both the practical benefits people derive from it and the value of simply knowing the lake exists.
The researchers utilized the contingent valuation method, a technique for determining a public's willingness to pay for environmental preservation. This approach was used to see how respondents would react to higher water utility bills or increased state income taxes. To ensure conservative results, researchers categorized any response lower than a 7 on a certainty scale as a "no."
The survey results showed varying levels of willingness to pay based on the sample group. On the high end, respondents indicated they would pay between $370 and $485 annually per household. In the middle, the amount was between $113 and $144, while the conservative end of the scale showed a willingness to pay $37 to $42 annually.
Gnagey noted that such studies can assist politicians in designing public referendums by providing realistic figures to propose to voters. He suggested that for a referendum to pass, a politician might use the most conservative numbers to ensure a high probability of success. While raising lake levels could cost several billion dollars, Gnagey stated the results are optimistic, suggesting that residents have the resources and the desire to save the lake.
The study builds upon similar research conducted in the 1980s regarding Mono Lake in California, a saline lake that faced potential collapse due to low water levels. Gnagey stated the new study provided updated, high-quality data specific to the Great Salt Lake in Utah.
