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SALT LAKE CITY — Initial work is already underway for a new study of Utah Lake to see if there's a way it can provide more water to the Great Salt Lake, but the director of the state agency tasked with overseeing it says she's worried about the tight window lawmakers set up.
At the same time, the person tasked with overseeing the Great Salt Lake's recovery says he believes the study should focus solely on Utah Lake and not both bodies of water, even if he agrees they are "linked systems."
"I think Utah Lake needs to be evaluated on its own without regard to the Great Salt Lake. I think that's really important to do," said Brian Steed, Utah's Great Salt Lake commissioner, in a meeting with reporters Wednesday. "I don't know if there are big water savings that are possible, but I think that's what that study is for."
Gov. Spencer Cox signed SB270 on Monday to initiate a new study of Utah Lake, a week after he signed SB242 last week to formally repeal the Utah Lake Restoration Act, a law passed in 2018 that set up a controversial and ultimately doomed plan to dredge the lake and create manmade islands.
Sen. Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, sponsored SB270 after he said in January that he was working with various groups on a potential study that looks into the way water flows between Utah Lake and the Great Salt Lake, as a possible solution to the Great Salt Lake's challenges. The two bodies of water are connected via the Jordan River.
The bill calls for a study that includes consultation with state engineer Teresa Wilhelmsen to "identify conditions associated with Utah Lake that may affect the state's ability to deliver water from Utah Lake to the Great Salt Lake under an approved instream flow change application," according to the final bill language.
The study will also review ways to "enhance" Utah Lake in several ways, including:
- Improving the clarity and quality of Utah Lake's water.
- Conserving water resources in and around Utah Lake.
- Removing invasive plant and animal species, like phragmites and carp.
- Restoring native fish species in Utah Lake, such as Bonneville cutthroat trout and June sucker.
- Increasing the "suitability" of the lake's surrounding area for shorebirds and other bird species.
- "Maximizing" recreational opportunities on the lake.
SB270 allocates $1.5 million to the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands to conduct the study, as well. The information must be reported to the members of the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Interim Committee by November 2025.
While the bill technically doesn't go into effect until May 1, the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands is currently working on a request for proposals tied to the study, said Jamie Barnes, the division's director. The agency is aware of the "really aggressive timeline" set in the bill, but she said it's an important enough topic that it doesn't want to "rush" the study.
"I think coordination is going to be key on this and coordination with the Legislature. It may be that November '25, when we come back, we're not completely finished," she said. "That's what we're going to have to report on that time — where we're at. ... Time is of the essence, but also (we need) to do it right. We can't do it quickly."
Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, and the sponsor of SB242, said last month that both bills will create a "fresh start" for Utah Lake's future. However, the new study also generated concerns that it could rehash major components of a plan led by the now-defunct company Lake Restoration Solutions to dredge Utah Lake and build manmade islands.
Environmental groups pushed back against the plan as it moved forward, but it was ultimately scrapped in late 2022 after the Utah Attorney General's Office determined that the plan was "unconstitutional."
Steed said his office tracked SB270 "pretty closely" as it went through the legislative process. As the former director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, he was aware of the "relatively aggressive" efforts led by Lake Restoration Solutions.
Although he believes the study should focus more on Utah Lake, he's also hopeful that it's a "bona fide study" that improves the lake's ecology. He also said Wednesday that his office will watch the study process to see if it yields any major plans that could impact the Great Salt Lake.
Barnes agrees. She's aware of the concerns residents and environmental groups have after the failed island plan, adding that she believes the "public trust" will be in mind as the study is compiled.
"The one thing we need to make sure is that we're not depleting one resource for another resource," she said. "We need to have consistency across all lines on those. ... Conserving Utah Lake is a priority and preserving it for the future is what we're looking for."
