Davis County Commissioner John Croft told the Weber River Watershed Council on Nov. 26 that the Great Salt Lake remains a regional priority and urged coordinated, data-driven actions to increase inflows and protect the lake’s ecosystem.

Croft, representing Davis County and a member of the Great Salt Lake Advisory Council, said the lake’s October elevation was about 4,191 feet, roughly 1 foot lower than the same time last year, and framed the advisory council’s mission as protecting, sustaining and restoring the lake through multi‑agency coordination and science-based reporting.

"The Great Salt Lake is a resource that matters to everyone in the state," Croft said, citing the lake’s role as a migratory bird refuge and its ties to recreation, brine-shrimp and mineral economies. He described the advisory council as a forum that brings subject-matter experts together, produces publicly accessible reports and focuses on inflow protections, wetland restoration, urban conservation and funding alignment for dust‑control and restoration grants.

Croft said the advisory council has set an aspirational goal to raise lake levels substantially ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympics and emphasized that improving inflows will require local water-resource coordination, county–district partnerships and alignment of state and federal grants.

He urged the Weber River Watershed Council to consider hosting presentations from state and federal land managers and noted the advisory council’s reporting, science-based recommendations and the need for transparency and improved data-sharing on diversions, inflows and monitoring.

The presentation concluded with members asking about how recent dry conditions and improved October precipitation fit into seasonal forecasts; Croft and staff stressed soil‑moisture and winter snowfall will strongly influence next spring’s inflows.