Despite a moratorium on new water rights in the Great Salt Lake basin, Utah has granted millions of gallons of new water rights for agricultural and ranching purposes. The state's water czar is evaluating the moratorium's boundaries and considering changes to allow for increased water access. The new water rights, granted under exceptions to the moratorium, are equivalent to the water needs of thousands of homes.
Amid a freeze, Utah granted millions of gallons of new water rights in the Great Salt Lake basin. Here’s where the water will go.
But, as Utahns reel from a housing crisis, most of those new water rights won’t be used to flush a toilet, take showers or do a load of laundry. Farming and ranching will account for more of the water used by the new rights holders. There are some existing wells they’ll probably first try as a water source, he said, but if they do drill, it’s likely to be at only one of the two locations where the company secured water rights — thus, not using the entire water right, he said.
Changes to either the moratorium or the base allowance would be targeted at increasing lake levels and conserving water as Utah continues to grow. A spokesperson for Cox did not respond to requests for comment on the proclamation and possible changes, instead leaving it to media representatives with the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner and the Division of Water Rights to take inquiries.
The organization also requests in those protests that the state reconsider whether “excluding the entirety of the West Desert Basin — an integral part of the Great Salt Lake Basin — from the protections afforded by the Proclamation is appropriate.” Keeping in mind the state’s ongoing growth, officials think it’s time to re-evaluate whether the allowances for new water rights are the right amount, Steed said.
Ferguson, the groundwater hydrology expert, said while people need water, the answer to most of the Great Salt Lake’s problems is “just to use less water.”even a century later, he said. Production on submarginal lands and abandonment of soil conservation laid the groundwork for the severe soil erosion that caused horrific dust storms amid a string of droughts.The state is asking people to reduce their water usage, and Steed said it doesn’t have to mean major changes.
WATER RIGHTS GREAT SALT LAKE UTAH MORATORIUM AGRICULTURE DROUGHT
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