Utah’s Great Salt Lake in Jeopardy
Can irrigation efficiency and water reuse keep it from drying out?
The Bear River’s circuitous course to the Great Salt Lake takes it through Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho, each of which is allotted a volume of its water under the Bear River Compact of 1958. Until now, the states have been unable to use all of their allotted water, and the agreement has not been amended since 1980. But, in an era of population and agricultural growth, and shrinking water supplies, hydrologists like Craig Miller of the Utah Division of Water Resources fear that diversion of Bear River water to more heavily populated areas like the Snake Valley could effectively turn the Great Salt Lake into a basin of “toxic dust.”
Bear River Basin
The Bear River basin encompasses nearly 7,000 square miles in the three states. The river wanders for 500 miles before its outfall in the Great Salt Lake, only 90 miles from its source. It is the largest water source for the Great Salt Lake. Before settlement, irrigation, and hydroelectric power generation reduced its flow, the Bear contributed an estimated 1.75 million acre-feet annually to the Great Salt Lake.
Approximately 500 organizations maintain individual irrigation systems within the Basin, serving 500,000 acres. The river also supports five hydroelectric plants, and its water is used for municipal and industrial operations while supporting a number of wildlife refuges. Now, the Bear River contributes an estimated 850,000 acre-feet of water to the Great Salt Lake, down nearly a million acre-feet.
Growth Taps Water Supply
Under the compact, Bear River water “appears to be at least partially up for grabs by the three states,” but the remoteness of the river from population centers so far has prevented diversion of the water. A general increase in water need, however, may soon change that dynamic.
The Bear flows between two growing valleys, the Snake Valley, home to Boise, Idaho, and Utah’s Wasatch Front. Dams were authorized in the 1990s for the Wasatch Front, one of the nation’s fastest growing regions. The valley expects an influx of technology companies. In addition, a lack of available water is the only factor limiting agricultural growth as farms expand into the desert.
Although the dams were never built, laws permitting them still are on the books.
Ecological Repercussions
The Great Salt Lake already has lost 40% of its volume, and if Utah and Idaho manage to make use of their allotments, the lake could suffer staggering water level drops that would leave it virtually nonexistent in dry years. Even in less dry years, however, increasing salinity would soon kill off the brine shrimp that 10 million migratory birds rely on for food, causing a cascade of ecological damage and new additions to the endangered species list. The loss of the lake could also cause the loss of 7,000 jobs, and high-mercury mining waste in the lake’s sediment could cause an ecological nightmare if it becomes airborne dust.
Focus on Efficiency
Reopening the compact for amendment would be a long and complex process, with a lack of political will to do it. Some are turning their hopes instead toward farmers: With more efficient irrigation technology, farmers who may actually be diverting more water than they need might be convinced to release their excess water for sustenance of the lake.
Utah is not alone in the world with its depleting water resources. Water stress is the new normal in many regions around the world, and much can be done to increase water efficiency. For instance, Tucson, in neighboring Arizona, plans to restore a river flow with highly treated, reused wastewater. And, many states in India are mandating that industry use recycled water.
Utah will be likely going it alone with lake preservation, but new advances in irrigation efficiency and water reuse technology could hold the key to success.
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