Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust Celebrates $50 Million Investment in the Future of Great Salt Lake and Surrounding Basin
The Bureau of Reclamation announced on December 2, that it will invest $50 million for drought mitigation in the Great Salt Lake Basin. The funding, from the Inflation Reduction Act, will be paired with an existing $50 million matching investment from the State of Utah for a total of $100 million investment in Great Salt Lake. The funds will be applied toward ecosystem restoration projects along the lake, including phragmite mitigation in the surrounding wetlands, and to support a water delivery program aimed at ensuring an ongoing and resilient water supply in the basin.
“Bringing Great Salt Lake back to healthy levels continues to require thoughtful collaboration and coordination—contributions of this scale will have lasting and meaningful impacts for the ongoing work to conserve and deliver saved water to the lake, restore and protect the surrounding wetlands and other essential ecosystems, and achieve resiliency across the watershed,” said Marcelle Shoop, Executive Director of the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust and Program Director of Audubon’s Saline Lakes Program. “The Trust is excited to see substantial federal investment for building water resiliency that can help preserve Great Salt Lake.”
The Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust was established in 2023, with $40 million of dedicated funding from the state, to enhance water quantity and water quality for Great Salt Lake and its associated wetlands, emphasizing the level of dedication from the state and local level to protect the lake and its surrounding communities. National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy in Utah were selected to co-manage the trust. The Trust is one of many tools and solutions focused on addressing the water challenges facing Great Salt Lake and its surrounding wetlands. Support from all levels—local, state, federal, and private—is needed to ensure the health of Great Salt Lake and the surrounding basin.
Photo: Mary Anne Karren/Audubon