The long-term goal of the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan (GSLBIP) is to ensure a resilient water supply for Great Salt Lake and all water uses, including people and the environment, throughout the watershed. It will serve as the long-term strategic plan for the lake and will assist in realizing the Governor’s commitment to the Great Salt Lake 2034 Charter.
Stage One of this project encompassed creating the Work Plan, which laid the groundwork for the development of long-term solutions within the GSLBIP.
Stage Two now involves combining and enhancing existing water resource management tools from across the basin into one comprehensive tool. This tool will help bring a better understanding of current supply and demand.
The GSLBIP will include a strategy trade-off analysis within each river basin to assess the costs and benefits of meeting different water resource related goals. All leading to a more holistic, informed approach to decision-making and planning throughout the entire Great Salt Lake Basin.
During this stage, we need input from all stakeholders to help identify shared priorities and generate a menu of strategies and metrics to incorporate into upcoming scenario building workshops. These workshops will be a critical part of building each trade-off analysis.
To subscribe for GSLBIP updates, send an email with the subject line “Subscribe” to GSLBasinPlanning@utah.gov.
Goal
Ensure a resilient water supply for Great Salt Lake and all water uses, including people and the environment, throughout the watershed.
Objectives
- Forge connections
- Develop a shared understanding
- Quantify water resources
- Evaluate options
- Recommend actions
Background
Water levels in Great Salt Lake – the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere – are in decline, posing significant consequences for the environment, ecology and economy. In recent years, the state has conducted invaluable research, implemented numerous changes to water law and policy and established several programs intended to bring water to Great Salt Lake.
Along with these actions, there were several initiatives which called for the development of an integrated, water resource assessment and planning tool to help the state better understand both water supply and demand specifically within the Great Salt Lake Basin. These initiatives include HCR 10 “Concurrent Resolution to Address Declining Water Levels of the Great Salt Lake,” Water Strategies For Great Salt Lake and the Great Salt Lake Strike Team Policy Assessment.
In order to address the need for an integrated planning tool, HB 429 was passed during the 2022 Utah legislative session. 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 conduct a Great Salt Lake Basin Study.
Ultimately it is these parallel efforts that will help inform the final Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan.
The Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan 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 for the holistic management of water resources
Process and Timeline
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 is being completed in stages.
Stage One
The initial stage addressed the requirement to create a Work Plan to lay out the approach for completing the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan. This Work Plan was completed in winter 2024.
Stage Two
The second stage, which will conclude in late 2027, consists of four phases. This stage initiates the longer process of creating the integrated planning tool for modeling scenarios and trade-offs as well as the creation of the actionable plan.
To subscribe for GSLBIP updates, send an email with the subject line “Subscribe” to GSLBasinPlanning@utah.gov.
Would you like to learn more about the Basin Integrated Plan?
GSLBasinPlanning@utah.gov