New study says Utahns, especially farmers, need to cut water use by 35% to save Great Salt Lake

Editor’s note: 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.

SALT LAKE CITY — Despite Utahns’ efforts to save and conserve water for Great Salt Lake over the last few years, researchers say it’s going to take a lot more conservation to preserve the state’s still vulnerable inland sea.

According to a new study published in “Environmental Challenges,” 62% of all the water heading toward the lake never reaches it because it’s diverted away by humans. Seventy-one percent of that diverted water is being used for agriculture, predominately hay and alfalfa, the study said.

Lead author of the study Brian Richter told KSL NewsRadio Utahns, especially farmers, would need to cut their water use by 35% to help get the lake back to a healthy level over time. 

Just stabilizing the lake level would require people to slash water use by 15%. It would take an additional 20% to help refill it.

“We’re hoping… everybody will see that we really need to step up to a much higher level of activity… if we’re going to succeed in saving the Great Salt Lake,” Richter said.

While state leaders have passed numerous laws and set aside millions to help the lake, Richter said those efforts only amount to about 10% to 15% of the conservation needed to save it.

A possible solution

Richter and other researchers proposed a hypothetical solution to get enough water to the lake every year.

He said state lawmakers could set aside around $100 million a year over the next decade to compensate Utah farmers to grow fewer crops and in turn, use less water.

The research said, depending on the conservation strategy, such a program would only cost Utahns about $29 to $124 a year. That $100 million doesn’t even amount to a full 1% of the state’s annual budget.

“[Farmers] can become the heroes that save the Great Salt Lake,” Richter said. “We can actually give them a better financial opportunity, keep them on the farms growing as much as is feasible… while still conserving enough water to save the lake.”

Richter said it’s not a formal proposal, but rather something that can hopefully add to conversations about saving the lake.

The state has explored programs in the past to save water in the agriculture industry. For example, last year Rep. Doug Owens requested $500,000 from the Legislature to help develop a split-season leasing program.

Other farmers have invested millions in their own money to get new water-saving infrastructure on their farms, with the state bucking some of the bill as an incentive.

The state of the lake

Great Salt Lake’s levels are on the rise thanks to the recent rain and snow since the holidays, but it’s still well short of where it needs to be.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the south arm of the lake sat at 4,192.7 feet, which is just over 5 feet below the lake’s target healthy level of 4,198 feet. The lake’s waters haven’t risen to that level since 2012.

Water managers are hopeful Mother Nature will continue to provide plenty of rain and snow to help the lake make some extra gains after a very hot and dry summer.

Great Salt Lake will likely be a focus for lawmakers again this year in the upcoming general legislative session which starts later this month.

Related: Great Salt Lake makes new gains to start new year. What does it need in 2025?

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