Cox appoints new Great Salt Lake commissioner as lake continues to slide

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 — Gov. Spencer Cox didn’t have to look too far to find a new leader to oversee the health and protection of the Great Salt Lake.

The governor named Hannah Freeze as the state’s new Great Salt Lake commissioner, replacing Brian Steed, who stepped down earlier this year. Freeze was named deputy commissioner of the state office last year, after previously overseeing the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food’s agricultural water optimization program.

In all, she’s spent over a decade in the conservation field, having experience collaborating with multiple groups to bolster laws that have helped advance conservation within the lake’s basin, which made her an ideal candidate, the governor said. That includes building relationships between state and federal agencies.

“Hannah understands that protecting the Great Salt Lake requires cooperation from people across the basin. She has earned the trust of agricultural producers, water users, conservation leaders and our state and federal partners,” Cox said in a statement. “Her experience, practical approach and ability to bring people together will be invaluable as Utah continues this important work.”

Freeze takes the reins of an office during what is shaping up to be another pivotal time for the Great Salt Lake.

The lake’s southern arm has fallen to 4,190.8 feet elevation, down more than 1½ feet from its peak this year. It’s also nearly 6 feet below its median level for Pioneer Day week and over 7 feet below what’s considered its minimum healthy level, per U.S. Geological Survey data. Its northern arm stands about a half-foot below that.

In short, it’s slowly creeping toward the record-low levels observed in 2022, which sparked calls for a commissioner to oversee the lake’s health. Steed was named the lake’s first commissioner in 2023 but resigned earlier this year to focus on a new role as vice president of government affairs at Utah State University while also maintaining a leadership role at its Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air.

Freeze joined the commissioner’s office last year after its first deputy, Tim Davis, left to lead the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. Before that, she helped create and oversee the state’s program that has sought to improve the efficiency of agricultural water use across the state, which is also the top consumer of water within the lake’s basin.

A Great Salt Lake Strike Team report released earlier this year found that agricultural use still accounts for approximately two-thirds of all water depletions within the basin since 2020, but it noted that’s down from previous decades as other uses, such as municipal and industrial consumption, steadily increase.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving Utah and the Great Salt Lake,” Freeze said in a statement. “This work depends on strong relationships with water users, agricultural producers, state and federal agencies and others across the basin. I look forward to continuing those partnerships in this new role.”

Other state leaders say they are pleased with Cox’s pick.

Senate President Stuart Adams said the lake factors in Utah’s economy and our quality of life, which is why the office’s work is important. He said Freeze has “consistently demonstrated the sound judgment, foresight and collaboration” needed to handle the difficult task of overseeing the lake’s future.

“Protecting the Great Salt Lake takes collaboration, trust and a shared commitment to Utah’s future, and Hannah understands that lasting conservation happens through partnership,” House Speaker Mike Schultz added. “I look forward to working with her as we continue bringing people together to protect and preserve the Great Salt Lake for generations to come.”