During the 2022 Utah legislative session, HB 429 was passed. This bill directed the Division of Water Resources to develop and implement the Great Salt Lake Watershed Integrated Water Assessment.
In addition to this, the division was also awarded a WaterSMART grant in December 2022 to develop a Great Salt Lake Basin Study. With similar objectives aimed at better understanding the complex water supply and demand in the Great Salt Lake Basin, these two projects have merged to become the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan.
To help facilitate and carry out these objectives, Jacobs, The Langdon Group, Clyde Snow and Hansen, Allen & Luce have been hired to assist with the development of the workplan for this project.
These combined projects will help to ensure a resilient water supply for Great Salt Lake and its watershed by:
- Assessing current surface and groundwater supply in the Great Salt Lake Basin
- Forecasting future water demands
- Investigating potential benefits of forest management and watershed restoration
- Coordinating efforts to quantify and incorporate demand into the water supply and demand model
- Identifying and evaluating best management practices to provide a reliable water supply
- Analyzing the trade-offs in relation to impacts on water users throughout the basin and avoiding deterioration of agriculture, industry and ecosystems
- Recommending actionable strategies to the holistic management of water resources
Purpose
The objective of the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan is to ensure a resilient water supply in the Great Salt Lake Basin. Within a three-year timeframe, the Division of Water Resources will combine and enhance existing water resource management tools from across the basin to complete a state-of-the-art water supply and demand study. The integrated plan will collaboratively explore options to address water supply imbalances, increase supply reliability and avoid degradation of the vital Great Salt Lake ecosystem. In addition, it will include a strategy trade-off analysis within each river basin to assess the costs and benefits of meeting different water resource related goals.
Process
The development of a collective assessment and planning tool encompassing the entire Great Salt Lake Basin is a massive undertaking that has never been completed before. Thus, the project will be completed in two phases. Phase one will develop a workplan to lay out the approach for completing the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan. This workplan will be completed by November 2023. Phase two will then initiate the longer process of creating the actionable Integrated Plan, which will conclude in late 2026.
Phase One
The workplan for the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan will synthesize existing information, literature and data across the watershed related to water quantity and quality, water use, water demand, surface and groundwater diversions, depletions and return flows. In addition to creating a “situational assessment” of current conditions, the workplan will also provide guidance on the communication and collaboration that will be required to successfully involve stakeholders in the watershed.
Objectives of the Workplan:
- Lay out the approach for completing the integrated plan
- Identify parallel efforts to eliminate redundancies and capitalize on opportunities
- Engage stakeholders and build consensus
- Catalog previous projects
- Define remaining questions
- Identify and prioritize necessary studies, schedules and costs
Phase Two
After the workplan is complete, development of the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan can begin. We will answer complex questions, such as:
- What is the present Great Salt Lake Basin water supply?
- How much water does Great Salt Lake need to thrive?
- What are groundwater contributions within the basin?
- How much water will people need in the future?
- How much will our environment need?
The plan will then analyze a range of adaptation and mitigation strategies that could ensure a reliable water supply in varied conditions. Ultimately, water users and policymakers will gain a comprehensive foundation to understand their roles in the watershed and make decisions.
Basin Study
The United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) plays a critical role in helping stakeholders address and plan for water supply and imbalances. Comprehensive basin studies are intended to bring together competing interests within river basins to identify collaborative solutions to water management challenges. In December 2022, the Division of Water Resources was awarded $3.1 million in funding to assist with the development of a Basin Study through technical assistance and tool development. Due to the collaborative nature of the work promoted by USBR, the division is able to combine the Basin Study and the Integrated Water Assessment into one large-scale, state-of-the-art analysis of water resources in the Great Salt Lake Basin.
Partners
Steering Committee | |
TBD |
Water Suppliers | |
Bear River Canal Company | Ogden River Water Users' Association |
Bear River Water Conservancy District | Provo River Water Users Association |
Central Utah Water Conservancy District | Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities |
Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District | Weber Basin Water Conservancy District |
Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake & Sandy |
Environmental Non-Profits | |
Audubon Society | The Nature Conservancy |
FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake |
Academic and Advising | |
Great Salt Lake Advisory Council | Utah State University |
University of Utah |
State Agencies | |
Idaho Department of Water Resources | Utah Division of Water Quality |
Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands | Utah Geological Survey |
Utah Division of Water Resources | Wyoming Office of State Engineer |
Utah Division of Water Rights |
Federal Agencies | |
US Bureau of Reclamation | US Geological Survey |
US Fish and Wildlife Service |
Would you like to learn more about the Basin Integrated Plan? Do you have research or information you would like to contribute?
gslbasinplanning@utah.gov