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This newsletter is a little longer than usual (just a little, I promise), but we had an action packed week of events and movement from the legislature. Make sure to read it all to stay informed and ready to act during the Legislative Session!

Upcoming Event:

We will first hear Dr. Ben Abbott on the current conditions of the Great Salt Lake crisis, its global significance, legislative priorities for the upcoming session.

Following this presentation, Tom Moyer will share his knowledge and expertise on how to effectively engage with lawmakers to push for better policies that will protect and restore this vital resource.?

This event is FREE and open to the public. With the legislative session coming up quickly, this event is a must for anyone wanting to maximize their legislative outreach impact.

Event Details:

Date: Thursday, December 5, 2024

Time: 6-7:30pm

In the News and On the Hill:

The Legislative Water Development Commission and Natural Resources Committee had some action packed meetings this week!

Keep reading to learn about policy recommendations from the GSL Commissioners Office, findings from recent studies on property taxes subsidies for water, recommendations for more aggressive tiered water pricing structures, and how much grass is in the basin. For full meeting minutes click

Updates and Recommendations from the GSL Commissioner

• State of the Lake: The Commissioner recently recognized GSL water levels have dropped to 2021 levels. This rapid drop in the lake puts us one below average winter and one dry summer away from approaching a record low again. We cannot afford a new record low, and we must be ready to face this challenge readily and preemptively.?

• Conservation Standards: The Office is working with an array of stakeholders to create “a conservation standard for new development in the Great Salt Lake Basin” and legislation to limit overhead spray for new development projects. This preemptive action will make water efficient landscaping cost effective and appealing to residential and commercial developers.?

• Water Leasing: The Office suggests expanding its role by addressing “procurement law to facilitate the leasing of water for the Great Salt Lake.” They also suggest creating a tax incentive for water donations, similar to conservation easements. These changes would increase capacity to conserve, dedicate, and deliver water and make water donations from private entities more appealing to users.?

Property Tax Study Recommends Changes to How Utah Sells Water

• Implement more aggressive tiered rates: The recent study found Utah’s tiered water rates are marginal compared to similar cities and states. To create a market que for conservation, it recommends implementing more aggressive rates. This change would mean the cost of indoor, essential would stay low, and pricing for excessive, outdoor use would increase substantially.?

• Metering and Tiered Rates for Secondary Water: The study recommends metering all secondary water systems and implementing tiered rates to incentivize conservation. Many secondary systems are unmetered and users pay a cheap, flat-rate fee, which has led to excessive water waste for residential users.?

• Special Rate For Non-Tax Paying Entities: Currently, tax-exempt entities like Universities and Churches pay exponentially less for water than other users. The study suggests creating a special water rate for these entities, which would incentivize frugal water use and increase revenue for water conservation.?

• Caution When Changing Role of Property Taxes: The study suggests potential changes to property tax revenue for Water Conservancy Districts (WCDs); however, it expresses caution when doing so because removing this revenue could lead to increased costs for lower class residential users and make it difficult to fund future infrastructure improvements. Currently, WCDs receive property tax revenue, which has kept water rates artificially low but also helps fund infrastructure improvement and educational programming.??

• You can read the full study

Grass, Grass, and More Grass?

A Green Space Analysis discussed in committee this week found the Great Salt Lake Basin has ~135,000 acres of turf. This number is higher than anticipated, and demonstrated an immense need to address excessive outdoor water use in the basin. Reducing non-functional turf in the basin would result in substantial water savings, and signal to agricultural and industrial users that we are all playing a part in saving water and the Great Salt Lake.?

Cross Sector Collaboration

On Wednesday and Thursday, Grow the Flow attended the Salt Lake County Watershed Symposium that brought together policy makers, scientists, and community members to share about the current state of the watershed.?

Here are some of the highlights we want to share with you:

• Despite population growth, water conservation efforts have allowed cities to grow AND decrease the total amount of water they deliver and consume.?

• Dust from the lake contains a wide range of harmful toxins. Even if they are all at a “healthy” level the cumulative effects of exposure are both harmful and costly.

• We are in this together: Dozens of nonprofit organizations, state agencies, and elected officials are working to improve water security and the future of our lake

• We all have a role to play: Now is the time to double down and accelerate conservation, policy, and advocacy efforts to ensure a prosperous, flourishing Utah for generations to come.

Volunteer Opportunities

Tabling at Black Friday Arts and Crafts Market

Date: Friday & Saturday, November 29th & 30th, 2024

Time: 7:30 AM - 7:30 PM

Location: Newgate Mall,

Thanks for following along on our journey to save our home!

Water to the Lake,

• , Nov. 30th, Dec. 5th
• . Nov. 22, 5:30-7:30pm
• Visit our??for more events!