A stop-motion paper cutout short
Saving the Great Salt Lake
The lake hit a record low in 2022. Follow one snowflake from the mountains to the lake to see where the water goes, why the lake’s level matters, and what the Utah Legislature and governor have done since 2022 to get more water to it. About 2½ minutes, with sound.
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Chapters
The snowflake and drop are illustrative. Lake levels are south-arm elevations; the chart is schematic between labeled points. Water-use shares are from the Great Salt Lake Strike Team’s January 2026 report (farms just under 65%, cities and industry about 27% of water depleted in the basin). The Bear River share (about 60% of river inflow) is from Audubon. The 144,790 acre-feet bought with US Magnesium are rights to withdraw lake water, not new water. The 288,000 acre-feet figure is the state’s report of water committed to the lake. The $60 million is the federal payment under the Bear River refuge settlement approved in H.J.R. 30. The $1 billion is a federal budget request, not an appropriation; its breakdown is from the EPA’s May 2026 presentation. Water trust deliveries are measured where water is released upstream. The strategic plan target and the 2034 Charter are goals, not bills. Further reading on causes: Bigalke et al. (2025) and the January 2023 BYU-led policy brief.
Sources:
Great Salt Lake Office, Legislative Actions 2022–2026 ·
Utah House, 2026 Great Salt Lake laws ·
FOX 13, 2026 session recap ·
Deseret News, H.B. 348 & H.B. 410 ·
Deseret News, US Magnesium purchase ·
Deseret News, $60M federal settlement ·
Governor’s Office, 2034 Charter ·
S.J. Quinney College of Law, Strategic Plan ·
Salt Lake Tribune, H.B. 33 (2022) ·
Utah Geological Survey, the causeway ·
Bonneville flood ·
KSL, Strike Team depletion report (Jan. 2026) ·
Bigalke et al., Geophysical Research Letters (2025) ·
KUER, climate vs. water use debate ·
Utah History to Go, Lake Bonneville ·
Utah News Dispatch, Aug. 2026 level ·
Audubon, Bear River share ·
Governor’s order to raise the causeway berm (2023) ·
BYU-led policy brief (Jan. 2023) ·
Governor’s proclamation on new water rights (Nov. 2022) ·
Great Salt Lake Office FAQ (US Magnesium rights) ·
Governor’s Office, Great Salt Lake ·
Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust, impact ·
KPCW, what’s in the $1B plan ·
Deseret News, House committee creates program ($10M) ·
CRS, FY2027 Interior appropriations ·
Deseret News, commissioner’s plans for the $1B