SB 250 Great Salt Lake Amendments

  • Short Description: Redirects major state water infrastructure funding to the Great Salt Lake by transferring roughly $200 million into the Great Salt Lake Account and authorizing its use to acquire or lease water and water rights to stabilize lake levels. Clarifies funding purposes and supports the Great Salt Lake Commissioner’s work to manage lake levels and long-term water conservation.
  • Impact: Positive
  • Bill Number: SB 250
  • Position: Support
  • Status: Failed
  • Past Hearings:

    2/9 Senate Nat. Resources. Held

SB 250 Great Salt Lake Amendments

SB 250 is primarily a funding and water-management bill designed to stabilize and raise water levels in the Great Salt Lake by dedicating significant new financial resources to acquiring and leasing water for the lake. The bill restructures how money in the state’s Water Infrastructure Restricted Account can be used and directs roughly $200 million into the Great Salt Lake Account specifically for securing water and water rights for the lake. It also clarifies that funds in the Great Salt Lake Account may be used to negotiate agreements and leases to keep more water flowing to the lake, while supporting the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner in managing lake levels.

From an air-quality perspective, the bill is important because the Great Salt Lake’s shrinking shoreline exposes large areas of dry lakebed that can generate dust containing fine particulate matter and toxic minerals. By investing in water acquisition and lake-level management, the bill directly supports efforts to keep more of the lakebed submerged. Maintaining higher lake levels reduces windblown dust events that contribute to PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ pollution along the Wasatch Front and surrounding communities. In addition, the bill ties certain water infrastructure funding to strong conservation requirements—such as limits on turf in new development, drought contingency planning, and water-reuse management—which encourage more efficient water use statewide. These conservation measures help preserve inflows to the lake over the long term, reinforcing the air-quality benefits of a healthier Great Salt Lake ecosystem.

Sponsors

Sen. Blouin

Position

Support

Status - Failed

2/4 Senate Rules

2/5 To Senate Natural Resources

2/9 Senate Natural Resources. Held. 

Scheduled Hearings

Past Hearings 

2/9 Senate Natural Resources2/9 Senate Natural Resources

Floor Debates