Charting the Future of the Great Salt Lake Basin
The Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan (GSLBIP) will be a roadmap for managing water across all Great Salt Lake Basin watersheds in ways that promote a healthy lake and a high quality of life in the Basin. The plan will guide the state of Utah, major water users, water conservancy districts, municipalities and the public in making decisions about how to use, manage and conserve water in the basin.
The GSLBIP is the long-term strategy for realizing the commitments of the Great Salt Lake 2034 Charter. Led by the Utah Division of Water Resources, it will build upon years of prior and ongoing planning and collaboration, including the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner’s Great Salt Lake Strategic Plan and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Basin Study.
The process — opportunities to help shape the GSLBIP
The GSLBIP will be created by water users and partners from across the basin. They will use modeling and data from the Great Salt Lake Basin Study to create water management scenarios that tie concrete actions to measurable impacts on lake health and basin water supply. Throughout the planning process, water users will have the chance to help create these scenarios and ultimately evaluate and weigh-in on their preferred scenarios. This input will inform the recommendations of the GSLBIP.
It all started when…
In 2022, HB 429 directed the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Resources, to complete an integrated water assessment for the basin.
The GSLBIP builds on the integrated water assessment by incorporating technical understanding into a basin-wide planning and decision-making process that evaluates tradeoffs and informs coordinated action.
Funding for the GSLBIP and Great Salt Lake Basin Study are provided by the Utah Legislature and a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation WaterSmart grant.
