It’s been a long time comin’

It’s goin’ to be a long time gone

And it appears to be a long

Appears to be a long

Appears to be a long

Time, yes, a long, long, long, long time

Before the dawn.

Long Time Gone by David Crosby

On Wednesday, February 1st, I attended the Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee hearing to speak in support of SCR-6: Concurrent Resolution Regarding the Great Salt Lake Elevation Targets sponsored by Sen. Nate Blouin.

Blouin’s resolution offered a timely opportunity to translate promises into inflows by using a target elevation of 4,198’ above sea level for the Lake. An elevation that simply wasn’t pulled out of a hat, rather, it’s what many of us would characterize as where the “sweet spot” begins. The sweet spot (4,198’– 4,205’) is in the GSL Elevation Matrix, part of the 2013 GSL Comprehensive Management Plan that was developed by the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. The Division has the jurisdictional management responsibility to sustain GSL “in perpetuity” as a Public Trust resource for the people of Utah.

In the Matrix (you can see for yourself www.fogsl.org/about/map), 4,198’ is the elevation where almost all of the Lake’s ecosystem services and its ecological viability are in “green.” Green is definitely good and is categorized as “beneficial for the resource.” Beneficial for the resource because it’s here where salinity concentrations and Lake elevations work best for brine flies, brine shrimp, and microbialites, which constitute the food web for the millions of migratory birds that rely on the Lake. And it’s here where the Lake’s former islands become islands again; the volume of the Lake would be twice what it is today, and much of the currently exposed lakebed would be under water, helping to address the troubling dust issues we’re concerned about.

It’s here where boats can safely get out of the marinas, and economic assets like mineral extraction, brine shrimp harvesting, and recreation and tourism can thrive, contributing $1.32B to Utah’s annual GDP. And because the Lake fluctuates due to seasonal temperatures, variability in precipitation, evaporation, diversions and inflows, it’s here where those values can be sustained as long as water finds its way into the system.

And that’s where we all come in, right?

However, as you would expect, there are many people, including Utah legislators, who consider this goal to be too lofty…too far out of reach. I disagree; I could easily argue that it’s not lofty enough. When it comes to Great Salt Lake, we can’t be satisfied with short-term goals. It can’t be just a one-hit wonder. We have to look beyond the crisis that’s facing us today to where the Lake is healthy again, for the long-term, and for all of us. Setting 4,198’ as a target elevation gives us a way forward to devise and implement policies, incentives, and funding sources to return Great Salt Lake to optimal levels—optimal levels found in the sweet spot of 4,198’– 4,205’.

This is a way forward that the Great Salt Lake Strike Team recommends in its February 8, 2023 report, Great Salt Lake Policy Assessment, A synthesized resource document for the 2023 General Legislative Session. The Strike Team is a partnership that includes researchers from the University of Utah and Utah State University working together with the Utah Dept. of Natural Resources, Utah Dept. of Environmental Quality, and Utah Dept. of Agriculture and Food. In the report, “Preliminary analysis suggests (4,198’ – 4,205’) to maximize benefits across many factors. Meeting this goal requires policymakers to focus on inflows that both fill and maintain targeted elevation ranges.” The report also includes an extensive list of recommendations to help inform state actions that could occur in a relatively short period of time.

Unfortunately, but no surprise really, SCR-6 didn’t pass out of committee. Why? Perhaps as a freshman senator, sponsoring a Senate Concurrent Resolution that by declaration and demonstration would be recognized as a historic water commitment to Great Salt Lake by our growing population, Blouin could be comparable with Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier in his X-15, and that would be unheard of. Perhaps, more groundwork needed to be laid in conversations with a broad legislative cohort about the merit of setting a target elevation before the bill was even drafted. Whatever the reason, certainly the persistent array of water concerns stemming from the megadrought have begun to finally sink in and the realization that we simply can’t continue with business as usual in our water practices has become more evident.

One of the committee members who claimed to be an advocate for the Lake and agreed in principle with the resolution, voted against it. His concern was that taking a position on an elevation was a “heavy lift” that could jeopardize other resources and economic values like farming. He also said that this winter’s snowpack gives lawmakers the opportunity to focus on long-term solutions that will have an impact, instead of simply pulling emergency levers. And although I totally understand the concerns that are being expressed, pulling emergency levers is exactly what we need to do for Great Salt Lake.

In November 2022, the Lake hit a new historic record low elevation of 4,188.5’; an elevation that negatively impacted almost all of its ecosystem services and raised salinity concentrations to a level that continues to threaten its ecological viability. As long as there is the perception that other resources and economic values like farming or concerns about reservoir storage deficits could be “jeopardized” by committing inflows to the Lake, we are just pressing the pause button on an urgent matter that requires immediate and long-term action, even in a good snow year.

It’s fair to say that since statehood 127 years ago, Great Salt Lake was a legislative afterthought until 2019, when Rep. Tim Hawkes sponsored HCR 10—Concurrent Resolution to Address Declining Water Levels of the Great Salt Lake. HCR-10 was a catalyst for recognizing the Lake as a responsibility that needed attention and legislative support. A recognition that was amplified by Speaker of the House Rep. Brad Wilson who hosted two Great Salt Lake Summits and sponsored HB410 Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust that created a $40m water trust to leverage water partnerships within the GSL watershed to bring water to the Lake and improve habitat. To date, Utah’s legislature has appropriated nearly $1billion toward drought mitigation, agricultural optimization, secondary water metering, an integrated surface and groundwater assessment for the GSL watershed, water banking, water-wise landscaping, and a public education campaign through Utah Water Ways to help Utahns change their water behavior. But clearly, we need to work more effectively to find ways to improve communication, build partnerships, and recognize our collective future in this Great Salt Lake place.

Similar concerns prevented HB538 Water Usage Amendments sponsored by Rep. Doug Owens and Sen. Mike McKell from passing during the session. HB538 would prohibit the watering of lawn or turf in the Great Salt Lake basin during a restricted period known as the “shoulder season” between October and May. With some exceptions for trees and shrubs, cemeteries, golf courses, and agriculture, the goal was to account for the conserved water saved during this period and translate it into inflows to the Lake. Penalties would be imposed by the retail water supplier to discourage watering during the shoulder season to ensure accountability. However, questions about the duration of the shoulder season, impacts on reservoir storage deficits, and how much water would actually become available for the Lake were reasons that the bill failed. Hopefully, further study during interim will confirm the merits of exercising this approach to sending conserved water to Great Salt Lake. Briny fingers crossed!

Had Blouin’s SCR-6 carried the day through the 2023 session, it’s probable that a working group would have been established to begin developing a strategic plan to focus on inflows to fill and maintain the “sweet spot.” Reaping the benefit of the extra credit inflows from the spring runoff as a metric to work with, ideally a draft plan could have been integrated into the strategic plan of the newly appointed GSL Commissioner (HB491) and presented to the legislature by mid-November. But right now, everything is on hold.

But wait!!! On March 15th, Great Salt Lake received a revelation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A donation of 5,700 water shares, equivalent to over 20,000 acre-feet of water, roughly the size of the Little Dell Reservoir, will be donated to the Lake “in perpetuity.” The largest ever permanent donation to Great Salt Lake is a welcome example of believing in the Lake’s future. In his talk at the 28th Annual Wallace Stegner Center Symposium, The Future of Great Salt Lake (March 16-17th), Bishop W. Christopher Waddell referenced Brigham Young, who saw beneficial use of water as responsible use of water. Isn’t this exactly what bringing water to the Lake is all about?

Oftentimes when we look for solutions, we tend to seek “new and improved” answers. The irony here is that in many ways we have had the answers all along. During the last 10 years, the Great Salt Lake Elevation Matrix has told us exactly what we need to know about managing the Lake to achieve conditions that are beneficial to the resource. The commitment and the process to set the goal are every bit as important as the actual goal we set.

“This water year is a crucial opportunity to mitigate ongoing damage to the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. There is still time to turn this around, but we need the next steps to be decisive and well-coordinated.” – Dr. Patrick Belmont, Professor, Watershed Sciences/Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, USU.

What are we waiting for?

In saline and solidarity,

Lynn

The Wallace Stegner Center is pleased to offer recordings from our 28th Annual Symposium on The Future of the Great Salt Lake. Symposium speaker presentations have now been posted online on our YouTube Channel. CLICK HERE 

Given the immediacy of issues confronting the Great Salt Lake, the Stegner Center has made presentations for our Keynote Speakers and Stegner Lecturers available to the public immediately and this summer, all symposium presentations will be available to the public on the College of Law YouTube channel. 

Dear FRIENDS,

The 2023 Utah Legislative Session is coming to a close. There are several opportunities to support water conservation and investment in efforts to rescue Great Salt Lake from ongoing collapse. Please do your part to preserve and protect the Great Salt Lake ecosystem by contacting your representatives regarding legislation relevant to the health of Great Salt Lake. Here's what we're tracking:

Budget:

The Executive Appropriations Committee met on Friday, 2/24 to release the budget draft. Included in the budget draft is $8 m. for Air & Water Innovation Grants, $6 m. for Wetland Acquisition, $5 m. each for Turf Replacement Rebates and Utah Lake Improvements, $5,449,000 for Water Rights Measurements and Data, $15 m. for Secondary Water Metering, $200 m. for Ag Optimization, and $10 m. for Emergency Water Shortages, and $20 m. for Wildlife Highway Mitigation.

Priority Bills:

To receive email notifications about the status of these and any other bills during this session, sign up for the Legislature's tracking service.

 S.B. 76 Water Amendments, sponsored by Sen. Sandall, addresses coordination of planning related to water and land use, including requiring certain municipalities and counties to consult with state agencies and others in development of general plans. This bill also appropriates $890,000 for planning. Effective water planning must become an integral part of land use planning and economic development as Utah continues to grow. We strongly support this step toward that goal.

Status as of 2/27: Passed by Senate! Recommended by standing committee, but returned to House Rules Committee due to fiscal impact.

Who to Contact: House Rules Committee members

S.B. 92 Special License Plate Designation, sponsored by Sen. Plumb, creates the Great Salt Lake Preservation special group license plate and directs revenue generated by the license plate to be deposited into the Sovereign Lands Management Account to enhance preservation of the Great Salt Lake watershed and ecosystem. We support this additional source of funding for the Lake and its recognition of Great Salt Lake as a Utah landmark.

Status as of 2/27: Passed by both chambers!

Who to Contact: Thank your representatives and bill sponsor, Sen. Plumb.

S.B.118 Water Efficient Landscaping Incentives, sponsored by Sen. Sandall, establishes a financial incentive program for the conversion of lawns or turf to water efficient landscaping. Conservation by all water users is critical to the preservation of Great Salt Lake. We strongly support this conservation initiative.

Status as of 2/27: Passed by Senate! Recommended by standing committee, but returned to House Rules Committee due to fiscal impact.

Who to Contact: House Rules Committee members

S.B. 119 Per Capita Consumptive Use, sponsored by Sen. McKell, defines how per capita consumptive water use is to be calculated, requires reporting, and regulates the publication or dissemination of consumptive water use numbers. Effectively measuring water use is essential for water supply planning and water conservation efforts. Gallons Per Capita Per Day (GPCD) is a common metric for measuring water use but under the surface there are some shortcomings that if not understood can lead to bad comparisons and even worse decisions. We oppose this bill, as flawed language may allow for underreporting and lack of transparency that would undermine water conservation efforts.

Status as of 2/27: Passed by both chambers.

Who to Contact: N/A

S.C.R. 6 Concurrent Resolution Regarding the Great Salt Lake Elevation Targets, sponsored by Sen. Blouin, establishes a target minimum elevation of 4,198 feet above sea level for Great Salt Lake. A surface elevation of 4,198 feet supports the health of the Lake's ecosystem and other beneficial uses according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources' Great Salt Lake Elevation Matrix. We support the designation of this target elevation for Great Salt Lake.

Status as of 2/27: Failed in Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee by 4-2 vote.

Who to Contact: N/A

H.B. 121 Wildlife Habitat Account Amendments, sponsored by Rep. Peterson, increases the percentage and amounts of money that go to wetlands that are beneficial to waterfowl and decreases amounts that go to upland and big game projects. We support this investment in critical wetland habitats which support migratory birds and other wildlife.

Status as of 2/27: Passed by both chambers!

Who to Contact: Thank your representatives and bill sponsor, Rep. Peterson.

H.B. 137 State Crustacean Designation, sponsored by Rep. Lesser, designates the brine shrimp as the state crustacean. We support this symbolic recognition of a keystone species in the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. This bill was introduced in partnership with sixth graders from Emerson Elementary School. Read more about this collaborative effort and why the students think brine shrimp should be our state crustacean here.

Status as of 2/27: Passed by House! Recommended by standing committee; awaiting second reading and full vote in Senate.

Who to Contact: Your Senator

H.B. 150 Emergency Water Shortages Amendments, sponsored by Rep. Albrecht, clarifies the process for the declaration of emergency shortages of water by the governor and creates a preference for uses of water during a temporary water shortage emergency. We support this clarification of priorities as Utah faces continued drought.

Status as of 2/27: Passed by House! Recommended by standing committee; awaiting second reading and full vote in Senate.

Who to Contact: Your Senator

H.B. 217 School Energy and Water Reductions, sponsored by Rep. Bennion, authorizes the State Board of Education to issue grants to schools related to energy and water reductions with priority given to outdoor water conservation projects, and provides a one-time $9.9 million appropriation from the Income Tax Fund. We support this water conservation initiative.

Status as of 2/27: Passed by House! Sent to Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee to be heard at 8am meeting on Tuesday, 2/28.

Who to Contact: Committee Members

H.B. 220 Emissions Reduction Amendments, sponsored by Rep. Stoddard, enacts the Pollution Emission Reduction Act which imposes certain emission related requirements on the board of the Inland Port Authority. We strongly support this regulation of emissions related to the Inland Port, which is adjacent to critical wetlands on Great Salt Lake's southern shore as well as Westside communities that are already disproportionately impacted by air pollution.

Status as of 2/27: Passed by House! Sent to Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Committee to be heard at 8:54am meeting on Tuesday, 2/28.

Who to Contact: Committee Members

H.B. 262 Wildlife Management Area Amendments, sponsored by Rep. Snider, establishes wildlife management area purposes and how purposes and conditions for certain uses are to be implemented. There are several wildlife management areas surrounding Great Salt Lake, and we support the protection and effective management of these important habitats.

Status as of 2/27: Sent to House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee

Who to Contact: Committee Members

H.B. 272 Water Efficient Landscaping Amendments, sponsored by Rep. Owens, allows the Division of Water Resources to award grants to local water districts or municipalities that pass appropriate water use ordinances. Municipalities can use grant funding to financially assist property owners in water-efficient landscaping efforts. This bill would incentivize municipalities to adopt regionally-based water efficiency standards and promote water-efficient landscaping. We strongly support this effort to reduce outdoor irrigation in cities throughout the Great Salt Lake basin.

Status as of 2/27: Recommended by standing committee; circled on third reading in House

Who to Contact: Your Representative

H.B. 286 Great Salt Lake Funding Modifications, sponsored by Rep. Briscoe, redirects sales and use tax revenue from the Water Infrastructure Restricted Account (WIRA), which collects funding for the Bear River Development and Lake Powell Pipeline projects, to the Great Salt Lake Account for five years to support the management of Great Salt Lake's water levels. We strongly support this proposed use of existing tax revenue to fund urgent water acquisition for Great Salt Lake.

Status as of 2/27: Sent to House Rules Committee; awaiting standing committee assignment

Who to Contact: House Rules Committee members; Standing committee members, once assigned

H.B. 538 Water Usage Amendments, sponsored by Rep. Owens, establishes civil penalties for watering lawn or turf during a restricted period, and provides for use of water for the Great Salt Lake. We strongly support this water conservation initiative and the allocation of conserved water to Great Salt Lake.

Status as of 2/27: Recommended by standing committee; awaiting second reading in House

Who to Contact: Your Representative

How You Can Help:  

Contacting your representatives during the legislative session is an important responsibility and really does make a difference. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with this legislation and reach out with any questions you might have, then contact your representatives and let them know that you support initiatives to preserve and protect Great Salt Lake. 

Find Your Representatives

“Keep doing what you’re doing.”  My Lyft driver’s response when I told him about FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake

Great Salt Lake is a reflection of who we are and how we are. Whenever I’m invited to share a presentation about the Lake and the work that FRIENDS does on its behalf, I begin by stating the obvious—we live along the shores of something GREAT—Great Salt Lake. And whether we perceive it or not, during its relatively short life-span as a remnant of ancient Lake Bonneville, it has affected all of us: from the ancients who lived in the Great Salt Lake wetlands, to the growing populations of today and tomorrow. The Lake effect not only covers the mountains in snow, but it continues to modify, influence, and impress our lives and the lives of millions of migratory birds that rely on it.

I’ve been thinking a lot about our Lake, as I’m prone to do. The impressive surge of global media coverage surrounding its decline, the welcome but long-awaited legislative tools (coupled with $.5B in funding) to support water conservation and obtain water shares for the Lake, and the recurrent and heartfelt emotional declarations that are shared by so many are all fundamental to our efforts to achieve positive results for Great Salt Lake. And although I realize translating words into actions can take time, I keep checking my watch to see just how long it’s going to take for us to begin with the essential task at hand of bringing water to the Lake. Yes, we have drought exacerbated by climate change but we can’t let that discourage us from moving forward.

When it comes to Great Salt Lake, size matters.

We know that water fluctuations have always been a part of the Lake’s character. Fluctuations in a shallow terminal lake that have exhibited remarkable highs—least we forget 1986-87 during the super El Nino climate cycle in the Intermountain West.  At that time, the Lake came back with a roar achieving an historic record high elevation of 4,212’asl with a watery footprint of 3,300 sq. mi. This, after a remarkable historic record low of 4,191.3’ in 1963 at 950 sq. mi.  We also know, thanks to Dr. Wayne Wurtsbaugh et al, that since statehood, the Lake has dropped by 11.1’ from upstream diversions. Diversions that have reduced the Lake’s volume by 48%. Contributing factors include agriculture 63% (7’), mineral extraction 13% (1.4’), municipal & industrial 11% (1.3’), impounded wetlands 10% (1.1’), and reservoir evaporation 3% (0.3’).  

We use these fluctuations as reference points in our ongoing discussions about salinity concentrations, navigation, wildlife habitat, industries, and the viability of the food web and productivity of the system. These comprise significant ecological and economic values inherent in Great Salt Lake. Thanks to best available sound science and examples from other saline systems globally, we know that as Lake levels decline, salinity concentrations increase and have a direct effect on these important values. And thanks to Dr. Kevin Perry, University of Utah Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences, and others who are studying the exposed lakebed, we can factor air quality impacts into the mix.

This past summer and into early September, we wilted under relentless record breaking 100-degree temperatures with little or no rain for relief. This was preceded by an extremely disappointing water year that resulted in the Lake dropping below the 1963 historic record low twice to its current low of 4,188.9’. With these conditions, compounded by continued diversions from surface water inflows to the Lake, and from withdrawals by mineral extraction operations from the Lake, salinity concentrations in Gilbert Bay increased to 180 g/L or 18 %. This concentration has been determined by the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem Program Technical Advisory Group (Utah Division of Wildlife Resources) as being life-threatening to brine shrimp and brine fly populations. Populations that not only provide an important food source for millions of migratory birds, but also brine shrimp cysts that are used in aquaculture operations which are an important food source for global populations.

With this as a catalyst, the Great Salt Lake Salinity Advisory Committee recommended that “the State of Utah immediately begin planning, permitting, and construction of temporary modifications to the flow-control berm at the new Union Pacific causeway bridge.” The causeway bridge divides Gunnison Bay (North Arm) and Gilbert Bay (South Arm) of the Lake. The GSL Salinity Advisory Committee was established in 2017 to provide recommendations for long-term adaptive management of salinity of the Lake to the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands (DFFSL) and the Division of Water Quality. Adjustments to the berm were recently accomplished to reduce the salinity coming from Gunnison Bay to Gilbert Bay.

What we’ve been seeing under these conditions are clear calls for urgency. Vast beds of microbialites located in the marginal zones of the Lake that are immediately vulnerable to water loss are drying up. In turn, algal matts that cover them contribute to the life cycle of brine flies, browse for brine shrimp, and are responsible for 33% of the photosynthesis productivity in the Lake are also drying up. With that, if you consider Eared Grebes and Wilson’s Phalaropes and their particular reliance on these food sources it’s quite staggering. The world’s largest staging concentrations of Wilson’s Phalaropes was responsible for Great Salt Lake’s designation as a Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network Site in 1991—a remarkable designation for a saline system to achieve. For Eared Grebes, bird surveys have recorded as many as 5 million of them coming to the Lake. While here, they double their body weight on brine shrimp and brine flies during their molting process and store the energy they need before they fly south for the winter. The impacts on these food sources are anticipated to be so significant that both species could become candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

It’s time to raise the long pole and track a course of action for the Lake’s future. 

We need to translate water conservation outcomes into water inflows for the Lake. That course of action would focus on a target elevation range with sustained inflows over the course of 10-20+ years along with annual funding support to provide us with a basis to evaluate how our collective water efforts are translating into results. The good news is that in addition to the legislative tools available, and a veritable library of important references provided by the GSL Advisory Council, we have other tools that can help take us there. Thanks to the development of the GSL Elevation Matrix, we can better understand how Lake elevation plays a significant role in the effects on these ecosystem services (you can take a look at the Matrix for yourself on our website: www.fogsl.org/about/map).The Matrix is an integral part of the design of the 2013 GSL Comprehensive Management Plan to provide guidance for the DFFSL and serves to help inform timely and effective jurisdictional management decisions for the Lake as a Public Trust resource—a Public Trust resource that by law is to be managed in perpetuity for the people of Utah.

In short, the framework of the Matrix is based on a range of Lake elevations between 4,188’- 4,213’. The spectrum of ecosystem values/services associated with each of these elevations was identified by the DFFSL from both sufficient data from literature as well as input from at least three dozen stakeholders representing a variety of interests. Within this range of elevations is a sweet spot of 4,198’- 4,205’ where most of those values or services get the biggest bang for the buck. As elevation changes occur and the Lake gets lower, you can see how these values are impacted. The same happens with rising Lake levels. If we focus on beneficial values associated with navigation, reducing salinity concentrations to support the food web and productivity of the system, and wildlife habitats, 4,198’- 4,201’ looks like a good target range to shoot for. This range would also satisfy Dr. Perry’s recommendation of an additional 10’ to make a difference in covering up dust contributions from the exposed lakebed.

Yes, advocating for a target elevation range that’s a full 10’ higher than where the Lake currently sits is both ambitious and challenging, but how can we not step up for Great Salt Lake’s future? And, if the target range you would advocate for is different from mine, that’s fine, let’s talk about it. But that’s the key—we need to start the conversation; we need to set our goal of what elevation we’re aiming for with the Lake. And if for no other reason, let’s do it for the future generations of people and the millions of migratory birds that will rely on the Lake for sustenance. We need all hands on deck!

"He is walking along Thirteenth East Street on an absolutely perfect morning, a creation morning. Perhaps there was a shower during the night, but it feels as if prehistoric Lake Bonneville has risen silently in the dark, overflowing its old beach terraces one by one, flooding the Stansbury, then the Provo, on which this street is laid, then finally the Bonneville; filling the valley to overflowing, stretching a hundred miles westward into the desert, lapping against the Wasatch, pushing long fjords into the canyons, washing away all the winter smoke, softening the alluvial gravels, rinsing and freshening every leaf of every shrub and tree, greening every blade of grass; and then before daylight has withdrawn again into its salty remnant, leaving behind this universal sparkle and brightness." –From Recapitulation by Wallace Stegner

In saline,

Lynn

View the Program Download PDF

Congratulations to our 2022 Alfred Lambourne Program Winners:

Chauncey Secrist, Migration Point, photography 

Nan Seymour, Lake Woman Leaving, modern myth

Cassidy Eames, Time, movement

Vincent Mattina, 41.115791 -112.476830, experimental ambient noise 

Join FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake for the Alfred Lambourne Arts Program gallery opening, readings, and performances on Friday, Sept. 9 from 6:30-8:30 PM at Sorenson Community Campus 1383 South 900 West, SLC

Free & Open to the Public

Utah’s Bear River Development Act makes no sense in today’s drought-rules world

By Lynn de Freitas | Special to The Tribune| June 23, 2022, 6:00 a.m.

Unless you’ve been on an extended cruise, it shouldn’t come as news that the Great Salt Lake is in trouble. The lake’s water level last year reached an historic low, and this year promises more of the same.

And, judging from the contents of my email inbox, there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of ideas on how to “fix” Great Salt Lake. And while some of those ideas are “out there” – think Pacific Ocean pipeline – not a single one of them advocates for taking more water out of inflows to the lake. Now, that would be really crazy, wouldn’t it?

And yet, in the latest version of state’s Water Resources Plan, published just six months ago, the Utah Division of Water Resources continues to pursue the goal of developing the Bear River.

Look, I get it. When the Utah Legislature passed the Bear River Development Act in 1991, the lake was just coming out of the flood years of the 1980s, when the lake rose to a level of 4,211.85 feet, more than 20 feet above last year’s record low level of 4,191.3 feet. There had been so much water in the lake in the mid-80′s that we actually began pumping excess water into the West Desert in 1987.

In that context, a development project that called for delivering 220,000 acre-feet of water out of the Bear River each year to supply water to communities along the Wasatch Front didn’t seem all that out there. It might have seemed irresponsible from a fiscal standpoint, and unacceptable from an environmental standpoint, but with the lake as high as it was almost nobody was criticizing the project because it would take water out of the system.

Clearly, that has changed. Fast forward 30 years and all any of us can talk about today is how the lake’s ecosystem is on the edge of crashing and what that will mean if that were to happen. To show his support for the lake, Gov. Spencer Cox announced his budget from Antelope Island and, to show their support for the lake, the Legislature passed a whole slew of bills focused on getting more water into the lake. All very important and necessary gestures.

So why, in the face of that reality, does the state continue planning for developing the Bear River? Is it because we’ve already sunk so much money into the project that we just can’t bring ourselves to throw that away?

In business, this is known as the sunk cost fallacy, where you mistakenly factor in the money you’ve already invested in a project when deciding whether or not to continue pursuing that project. We also call that throwing good money after bad. But let’s look at it another way. Can you think of a single legislator who would introduce the Bear River Development Act today? Even one? And if they did, what kind of response do you think that person would get?

I know it takes a great deal of political fortitude to admit that the time has passed for the Bear River development, but it’s time to let it go. I honestly don’t see where there’s much difference between passing new legislation and continuing to pursue old legislation: A bad idea is a bad idea. And continuing to plan for a water development project that would be the final nail in the coffin for Great Salt Lake is not just a bad idea, it’s irresponsible.

I understand that we have to consider new ideas for saving the lake; that we have to think creatively. But we also have to let go of old ideas that no longer make sense in the face of today’s realities. Let’s not point fingers, or cast blame or lament all of the money we’ve spent on that project. Let’s just tape that box up, put it on a shelf in the closet and close the door.

 https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2022/06/23/lynn-de-freitas-time-hit/

Join FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake and RoHa Brewing Project for "Pints for Purpose." 

Monday, July 11 from 6:00-9:00 PM at RoHa's taproom (30 E. Kensington Ave. SLC) 

This is a perfect opportunity to get involved and make a difference for Great Salt Lake. Join or renew your membership at the event to enter into a drawing for an airboat ride for 4 people. Additional raffle tickets will also be for sale. Enjoy RoHa's delicious beers because 10% of all proceeds will directly benefit FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake. Come learn about our current Great Salt Lake initiatives and meet fellow Great Salt Lake lovers.  

By Christopher Flavelle New York Times

Photographs and Video by Bryan Tarnowski

Mr. Flavelle reported this story from Utah, to see how climate change is altering the Great Salt Lake, and from California, for a glimpse of what might happen if the lake dries up.

SALT LAKE CITY — If the Great Salt Lake, which has already shrunk by two-thirds, continues to dry up, here’s what’s in store:

The lake’s flies and brine shrimp would die off — scientists warn it could start as soon as this summer — threatening the 10 million migratory birds that stop at the lake annually to feed on the tiny creatures. Ski conditions at the resorts above Salt Lake City, a vital source of revenue, would deteriorate. The lucrative extraction of magnesium and other minerals from the lake could stop.

Most alarming, the air surrounding Salt Lake City would occasionally turn poisonous. The lake bed contains high levels of arsenic and as more of it becomes exposed, wind storms carry that arsenic into the lungs of nearby residents, who make up three-quarters of Utah’s population.

“We have this potential environmental nuclear bomb that’s going to go off if we don’t take some pretty dramatic action,” said Joel Ferry, a Republican state lawmaker and rancher who lives on the north side of the lake.

As climate change continues to cause record-breaking drought, there are no easy solutions. Saving the Great Salt Lake would require letting more snowmelt from the mountains flow to the lake, which means less water for residents and farmers. That would threaten the region’s breakneck population growth and high-value agriculture — something state leaders seem reluctant to do.

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The Laketime Achievement award was created to honor those individuals whose unique personal and professional contributions in helping protect Great Salt Lake have had a lasting, positive impact, and whose dedication to the Lake has served as an inspiration to the entire Great Salt Lake community. We present this award with a briny tip of the hat in celebration of a life well lived and a career well spent. 

FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake is delighted to present this award to Bob Adler, retiring Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Utah, S.J.Quinney College of Law, and the former Jefferson B.and Rita E. Fordham Dean. Bob has served on the FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake Advisory Board since 1996. He has been an inspiration not just for expanding FRIENDS’ long-term vision to achieve comprehensive watershed-based restoration and protection for the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem but in recognizing that "planning for Great Salt Lake cannot be done in isolation from other planning efforts that will have significant impacts on the Lake and its ecosystem. And that planning for Great Salt Lake must take into account proposals for future water use in upstream watersheds, and vice versa. A comprehensive, inclusive, watershed-based planning process provides the best opportunity to balance the needs of this ecological treasure against legitimate human uses of the Lake and its resources.” 

-Robert W. Adler, Toward Comprehensive Watershed-Based Restoration and Protection for Great Salt Lake, Utah Law Review, Volume 1999, Number 1