The Utah Division of Water Resources is moving into the second stage of the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan, a project designed to ensure a resilient water supply for the lake and the surrounding watershed through 2027.
Details of current planning stage
The current stage of the plan involves combining and enhancing existing water resource management tools across the basin to create a comprehensive system for understanding supply and demand. This phase, which is expected to conclude in late 2027, includes four distinct phases aimed at modeling scenarios and analyzing trade-offs between different water use goals.
History of declining lake levels
The initiative follows a period of significant decline for the Great Salt Lake, which has lost approximately 22 feet in water level since the mid-1980s. According to a report from PERC published in March 2025, the lake declined 11 feet in just the last decade, reaching a record low in 2022.
Impact of agricultural water use
Research indicates that over 70 percent of Utah's water diversions are used for agriculture, often for crops such as alfalfa. One study cited by PERC found that 85 percent of the lake's area loss can be attributed to irrigated agriculture.
Strategies and challenges for conservation
To address these declines, the state has implemented various strategies, including voluntary water leasing where rights holders are paid to reduce consumption. While this approach has support from groups like the Utah Farm Bureau and various conservationists, a March 2025 PERC report noted that legal and technical challenges have slowed the implementation of these leases.
Goals for holistic basin management
The Division of Water Resources stated that the integrated plan will assess groundwater and surface water supply, forecast future demands, and investigate the benefits of watershed restoration to help manage the basin holistically.
The long-term goal of the integrated plan is to support the Governor's commitment to the Great Salt Lake 2034 Charter. The Division of Water Resources is currently seeking stakeholder input to identify shared priorities for upcoming scenario-building workshops.
