Public commenters propose floating solar arrays and harvestable wetlands to curb nutrient pollution in Utah Lake

At the Utah Lake Authority meeting on Nov. 12, public commenter Jim Anderson of Salt Lake City urged the board to consider a large-scale floating solar array on Utah Lake, saying covering lake surface could conserve water and generate electricity for peak demand. Anderson told the board: “you'll save about 4 to 5 acre feet for every acre that you cover.”

Neil Spagman, joining by Zoom from Highland, said a complementary nature-based approach — floating wetlands that can be harvested for biomass — could absorb nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural runoff and reduce harmful algal blooms. “You harvest the biomass, could be flowers, could be herbs, could be rice,” Spagman said, describing the approach as a way to “convert it into something beautiful.” He urged a prototype deployment and testing so officials and the public could evaluate performance.

Anderson and Spagman said the concepts have been implemented at scale in other countries and argued the paired systems could help reduce nutrient loads while producing renewable energy. Anderson suggested the project could be designed to integrate with local energy systems and large data centers, using renewables for daytime load and baseload plants for winter generation.

The speakers asked staff to place their proposal on a future agenda so the board could consider next steps for a pilot or feasibility study. The board did not take immediate action during the meeting but welcomed follow-up and expressed interest in seeing additional research and a formal request to place a pilot on an agenda.

Next steps: proponents said they will seek an agenda slot to present more detailed plans and prototype designs; staff indicated board members and staff would continue reviewing the idea alongside other restoration and management priorities.