Deadline for Great Salt Lake water projects extended as shutdown creates new hurdle

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 — Utah leaders are extending a deadline for projects that may help bring water to the Great Salt Lake because they say the ongoing government shutdown makes it challenging to coordinate with federal agencies.

The Great Salt Lake Commissioner’s Office had set a Friday deadline for government agencies, nongovernment organizations, institutions and private entities to submit their proposals to receive a share of $53 million in grants for projects that support the Great Salt Lake or its wetlands. However, it’s been pushed to Jan. 16, 2026, to allow more time for the state to organize planning with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which directed most of the grant funding.

“The shutdown prevents the coordination between the commissioner’s office and the Bureau of Reclamation necessary for the administration of the program and related funds. The program’s timeline for the current round of funding has been shifted to allow applicants more time to submit their applications and ensure necessary interagency coordination,” said Brian Steed, Utah’s Great Salt Lake commissioner, in a statement on Tuesday.

Many government agencies have been on pause since the U.S. shutdown began on Oct. 1. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Monday that he believes the gridlock will likely end this week, but Senate Democrats rejected the latest short-term funding bill later in the day, keeping the gridlock going into its fourth week, Politico reported.

Tuesday’s update is not the first funding holdup since the bureau announced it would send Utah $50 million for Great Salt Lake projects late last year. The funding was frozen for over a month, along with many other grants, pending review from the Trump administration, which took over in January. Federal officials ultimately decided in March to allow the grant to move forward.

Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and the State Lands and Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust officials set aside the other $3 million in available grant funds. The money can be used toward short-term or long-term voluntary water donations, paying water rights holders who use the lake’s tributaries to send water to the lake instead, or projects that reduce consumptive water losses or restore the lake’s ecosystem or habitat.

“This coordinated funding effort presents unprecedented opportunities to support projects that will enhance Great Salt Lake’s habitats, reduce water consumption and deliver water to the lake and wetlands, benefiting the overall health of Great Salt Lake,” said Marcelle Shoop, executive director of the trust, when the submission process opened in July.

The state also launched a new public-private effort last month after receiving pledges of $200 million in donations for Great Salt Lake projects.

All of it comes as the Great Salt Lake tumbled again this year. Its northern and southern arms dropped below 4,192 feet in elevation in July, reaching the “serious adverse effects” range of the lake’s health outlined by the state. Both arms remain about 7 feet below the lake’s minimum healthy level despite some help from storms this month.

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