Conservation Groups Sue Utah for Starving the Great Salt Lake of Water

Among the many splendors of the western United States, the Great Salt Lake has long stood out as an iconic jewel. As the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world, it provides habitat for millions of migratory birds, among other organisms, and supports a variety of industries, contributing billions of dollars to Utah’s economy.

The lake receives its water from several rivers and precipitation—but upstream diversions are wreaking havoc on the body of water. Water levels have dropped significantly enough that the lake is poised for ecological collapse as well as impacts on human health throughout the region.

Now, a new lawsuit says state officials have breached their trust obligations to Utahns by failing to take appropriate and necessary action to address the crisis and protect the lake. 

“The baby steps Utah has taken at the Great Salt Lake are woefully inadequate to sustain the American West’s largest wetland ecosystem, and we need the state to stop ignoring the upstream water diversions that are spiraling the lake and its wildlife into oblivion,” said Zach Frankel, Executive Director of the Utah Rivers Council.

The lawsuit seeks a court order directing Utah’s leaders to implement meaningful solutions that will provide enough water to the Great Salt Lake for the people and wildlife that depend on it.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the complaint was filed in 3rd District Court and invokes the public trust doctrine, "claiming the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has failed in its duty to protect the largest saline ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere for the benefit of its residents."

Depleted water leaves sediments exposed, resulting in the potential for fine particulates and toxic pollutants—including arsenic, mercury, and other toxic substances—to be carried into nearby communities.

“In other parts of the world, where saline lakes have been allowed to shrivel up because of upstream diversions like those happening at the Great Salt Lake, the end result has been public health disasters from the clouds of relentless toxic dust,” said Dr. Brian Moench, President of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment. “Utah’s leaders are prioritizing these water diversions over protecting their own people, so the courts must intervene.”

In the last three years, upstream diversions for agriculture, residences, and industry have led to a yearly deficit of more than 1 million acre-feet of water, notes a press release from Earthjustice, the non-profit representing the groups. As a result, the group explains, the lake’s elevation recently dropped below the point experts say is necessary for its continued viability.

“The Great Salt Lake belongs to the people of Utah and the state has a legal obligation to protect this resource,” said Stu Gillespie, Senior Attorney for Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain office. “But the state has sidestepped that obligation and failed to respond to the crisis facing the lake. Upstream water diversions threaten the lake’s biodiversity, industries that depend on the lake, and human health throughout the region. It is time for Utah officials to address the problem and safeguard this public resource.” 

“The health of northern Utah’s entire population depends on the Great Salt Lake’s survival, and I hope this lawsuit can help save it,” said Deeda Seed, Utah Campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. “In addition to the millions of people who live here, so many plants and animals depend on the lake, including 12 million birds from more than 300 species. They make this area unlike anywhere else. The state of Utah’s complete abdication of its responsibility to protect the lake threatens our ability to live in this spectacular region.”

“The Great Salt Lake is of critical global importance for bird species such as the Eared Grebe, Marbled Godwit and Wilson’s Phalarope,” said Michael J. Parr, President of American Bird Conservancy. “We can’t afford to have this significant body of water turn into dust. Water management decisions need to prioritize both water quantity and water quality while balancing the needs of birds, people, and local economies."

Polling from this year by Utah State University shows that drought and a drying Great Salt Lake are the top two environmental concerns for residents. And is it any wonder? It's hard to imagine Utah without the lake.

“Utahns want to see the Great Salt Lake protected. Unfortunately, our state leaders have repeatedly demonstrated that they aren’t interested in taking meaningful action to address this urgent issue,” said Maria Archibald, Lands and Water Programs Senior Coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Utah Chapter.

“The Great Salt Lake is central to Utah’s very identity and the lifeblood for many migratory bird species. It must be safeguarded to protect communities from the severe public health, economic, and environmental consequences its collapse would entail.”