The Division of Water Resources hosted a virtual open house on December 7, 2023 to allow the public to learn more about the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan and ask questions. Panel members were able to respond to 11 questions before the close of the meeting. The timestamp for those answers have been provided below. Answers to any remaining questions that were not able to be addressed during the open house have also been provided below.
The Division of Water Resources appreciated the questions and participation from the public. Thank you for taking time to join us at the open house and/or review the draft Work Plan. Public review of this draft will be open through January 8, 2024. Comments can be submitted through the comment form.
Further information regarding the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan and its Work Plan can be found at GSLBasinPlan.utah.gov.
Question 2: What are the biggest conflicts with the Great Salt Lake?
This question was addressed during the open house and the responses to this question can be found at 1:08:51 of the recording.
Question 3: How do we integrate our Lower Bear River PL-566 Plan with the Integrated Plan?
Members of the GSL Integrated Plan project team are familiar with this project and attended the Scoping Meeting for the Lower Bear River Watershed Plan EIS. Also, the Bear River Canal Company serves on the GSL Basin Plan Steering Committee. Opportunities for involvement and project discussions also occurred with the Bear River Water Conservancy District. That said, as both projects move forward, continued communication will be be essential as the goals for both projects are closely aligned. Communications with NRCS will continue throughout the duration of both projects.
Question 4: Getting WATER, WET WATER to Great Salt Lake NOW is an URGENT challenge. What are the immediate actions that are going to come out of this plan ASAP? I am not against planning. But what can be done NOW to give us the time to plan the best solutions?
This question was addressed during the open house and the responses to this question can be found at 1:10:19 of the recording.
Question 5: The Bear River is a major tributary for the GSL. Agriculture plays a large role in water consumption and there has been a lot of headway in conserving water. A great portion of the Bear River not only supplies Utah agriculture, but also Wyoming and Idaho agriculture. How will the GSL integrated plan work to involve Wyoming and Idaho in conserving water where it is needed?
This question was addressed during the open house and the responses to this question can be found at 1:21:27 of the recording.
Question 6: How will the findings of the Post Construction Stormwater Study that was conducted concurrently with the work plan scoping be incorporated into the next steps being discussed here?
This question was addressed during the open house and the responses to this question can be found at 1:23:05 of the recording.
Question 7: The work plan suggest the construction of a permanent dike on the Union Pacific causeway in the recommended short term solutions. How is the state balancing the implications of reducing flows to the north arm (gunnison island pelican colony collapse, increased salinity, increased dust emission from reduced lake levels, north arm ecological collapse) with the construction of this permanent structure?
This question was addressed during the open house and the responses to this question can be found at 1:24:06 of the recording.
Question 8: If you were king/queen of the GSL basin for a day, what would you do to ensure that all water uses receive ample water to meet their needs?
This question was addressed during the open house and the responses to this question can be found at 1:26:27 of the recording.
Question 9: Will the lake disappear in five years?
This question was addressed during the open house and the responses to this question can be found at 1:31:38 of the recording.
Question 10: What does the disappearance of the GSL mean for an average Utah resident?
This question was addressed during the open house and the responses to this question can be found at 1:34:14 of the recording.
Question 11: What gives you hope about water management/water planning in the GSL Basin?
This question was addressed during the open house and the responses to this question can be found at 1:35:14 of the recording.
Question 12: How can folks get involved? With the GSLBIP and/or the lake and the basin?
This question was addressed during the open house and the responses to this question can be found at 1:43:30 of the recording.
Question 13: Dwight D. Eisenhower is quoted as saying “battle plans are useless; planning is essential” meaning we learn and adjust as plans are implemented. Will our institutions be able to adjust in real time as needed?
Yes. Throughout the entirety of the project, the state will remain flexible in the modeling, scenario planning, tradeoff analysis and research directions. We will be able to adapt our approaches as warranted through data gathering, research and lessons learned. Further, the long-term planning tool that will be developed during this process will help state, federal and local partners understand impacts from changes in water supply and demand and make adjustments to mitigate impacts to ensure a resilient water supply for all water uses in the Great Salt Lake Basin.
Question 14: Part 1 - How can we leverage great salt lake forecasting models that are already in place the make the current water management decisions that need to be made, prior to 2026 when improved modeling will hopefully come to fruition. Part 2 - what are the January 2024 plans for allowing bidding on these proposed funded projects so that a variety of experts are given the opportunity to help with these modeling efforts.
Part 1 - The project team identified existing models used in each river basin, prior to developing recommendations for future modeling efforts. As appropriate, those will be used and built upon. If there is a model you would like to make us aware of, please send an email to gslbasinplannning@utah.gov.
Part 2 - Outreach to local colleges and universities has been, and will continue to happen through 2024 to identify resource expertise. Private firms have also had the ability to share expertise with the Utah Division of Water Resources upon request. Requests for proposals for future GSLBIP work will be issued through the state procurement service JAGGAER (formerly SciQuest). If there is an area of expertise you would like us to be aware of, please reach out to gslbasinplanning@utah.gov.
Question 15: How can citizens and even local engineering firms best help with the progression of the GSL integrated plan? We are excited about this plan and are appreciative of all the work done this far to protect the GSL for generations to come.
Involvement with the watershed council for specific river basins is a good place to connect to this project and other river basin issues. You can find more information regarding the Utah Watersheds Council and its 12 local watershed councils on the Utah Division of Water Resources site . Requests for proposals from consulting firms for future GSLBIP work will be issued through the state procurement service JAGGAER (formerly SciQuest). If there is an area of expertise you would like us to be aware of, please reach out to gslbasinplanning@utah.gov.
Question 16: What is the division and state doing to integrate and take into account indigenous perspective and knowledge into the Plan? Will there be any indigenous people in advisory or decision making positions?
From the project's inception, the division has had conversations with representatives from various tribes in the basin. Dustin Jansen, Division Director for the Division of Indian Affairs serves on our GSLBIP Steering Committee and will continue to do so throughout the duration of the project. Additional meetings and discussions with tribes are also anticipated throughout the project.
Question 17: How will you deal with water crimes? e.g. bypass valves on water meters.
Enforcement protocols depend on the nature of the connection/diversion. Where water is provided by local water suppliers (e.g., municipalities, water companies, conservancy districts), the respective water supplier is responsible for ensuring that customers are in compliance with any metering requirements associated with their service connection. For water that is diverted under a water right, the State Engineer is responsible for ensuring that water is diverted and used within the authorized limits of the respective water right. This is accomplished via river commissioners, regional staff, and enforcement engineers who investigate reports of unauthorized use and work with the water user to bring them into compliance.
Question 18: With half of Bear Lake and a good segment of the Bear River in Idaho, how much involvement or participation will Idaho have in formulating the plan and outcome? It seems to be primarily focused, funded and staffed by Utah.
Utah Division of Water Resources and the US Bureau of Reclamation have reached out to coordinate with technical representatives from Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada as well as the Bear River Commission. These communications will continue throughout the duration of the project. Where appropriate, data, tools and river basin expertise will continue to be gathered from neighboring states.
Question 19: I'm excited to watch and monitor the development and momentum of this visionary Plan. Investing in resilient and sustainable infrastructure builds stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities where choices about how to live, work and play are abundant. How will the team quantifiably measure the benefits and value of this strategically important investment and then educate the public?
Communications regarding this planning project will occur throughout the process as noted in Appendix C of the Work Plan - The Communications Plan. As part of the process, performance measures will be developed to understand and articulate the benefits of this project. Further, the planning tools developed during this process will be available to help the public further understand the impacts of changes in water uses and management within the Great Salt Lake Basin.
Question 20: Will the plan quantify the number of people the water supply can support in the Basin and for how long?
The scenario planning portion of the project will consider population projections from Kem C. Gardner Institute and consider a range of water conservation scenarios throughout the basin.
Question 21: Great job all of you. Nice to see the robust collaboration. How will the state of Utah involve Idaho and Wyoming into the process?
Utah Division of Water Resources and US Bureau of Reclamation have reached out to coordinate with technical representatives from Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada as well as the Bear River Commission. These communications will continue throughout the duration of the project. Where appropriate, data, tools and river basin expertise will continue to be gathered from neighboring states.
Great panel discussion. Appreciate the diverse viewpoints and interests represented.
Thank you for your comment. We appreciate all the comments and questions that were submitted during our open house!