Great Salt Lake refill plan aims for restoration by 2034

Utah leaders, philanthropies and conservation groups are pursuing an effort to refill the Great Salt Lake by 2034; officials say current water secured and recent snowpack levels remain far below the task force’s annual target.

The Great Salt Lake has been shrinking for decades, and state officials and scientists have reported exposed lake bed and dust that raise ecological and health concerns. In recent months Utah leaders, conservation groups and philanthropies have coalesced around a plan to restore lake levels by 2034, and lawmakers changed state water rules to enable transfers and donations for the lake's benefit. Fundraising efforts and policy tools are being pursued in parallel, but officials say current progress is well short of the quantities cited as needed. The lake's condition improved temporarily after a heavy snow year, yet officials report low snowpack now and renewed pressure on water levels. What officials report: - The lake has shrunk over decades, and officials have described exposed lake bed and dust with associated health and ecological concerns. - State leaders set a goal to refill the lake by 2034, enacted legal changes to enable water transfers, and philanthropic projects (including a sizeable fundraising drive) are underway to secure water for the lake. - Officials say recent water deliveries and conservation gains remain far below the task force’s cited annual need, and current low snowpack increases uncertainty about near-term levels. Summary: Officials say the Great Salt Lake faces long-term declines that have prompted coordinated policy and fundraising efforts aimed at restoring levels by 2034. The state plans to request roughly $1 billion in federal support while philanthropic and conservation funding is being raised and legal tools are being used to move water toward the lake. The potential regional impacts include effects on ecosystems, air quality and weather patterns tied to the lake, and whether the lake reaches target levels by 2034 is undetermined at this time.