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Lawmaker says new ‘dedicated water’ process, leasing pilot and data‑center reporting passed after this session
Summary
Representative Jill Koford told the council she sponsored bills to prioritize dedicated water applications (HB 348), to establish a statewide temporary leasing pilot to move water to the lake, and to require reporting from new data centers; members discussed metering and municipal conservation during Q&A.
Representative Jill Koford briefed the Great Salt Lake Advisory Council on legislation from this session intended to make it easier to deliver water to the lake and increase transparency. Koford described three key measures she led or supported:
• House Bill 348 — dedicated water amendments: a new application pathway to prioritize and speed change applications that dedicate water to Great Salt Lake. Koford said the process "bumps the applications to the top of the line," allowing temporary, time‑limited and seasonally flexible dedications intended to move water more quickly to the lake.
• A statewide, voluntary leasing program (two‑out‑of‑five‑year pilot): designed to let agricultural water users voluntarily lease water for limited periods; the program is market‑driven, managed by the commissioner's office, and includes a board to evaluate leases. Koford said the intent is to provide farmers flexibility and create short‑term water for the lake without permanently changing underlying water rights.
• Data‑center transparency and reporting: new requirements for pre‑construction communication and annual reporting for new data centers entering Utah, intended to better quantify data‑center water use over time. Koford said the bill applies to new facilities operating from July 1 onward and that it was a compromise to secure passage.
Koford also noted other session outcomes affecting the lake, including legislation to sweep brine‑shrimp royalties into the Great Salt Lake Fund (a bill referenced as about royalties), and a municipal planning provision (HB 349 swept into a land‑use bill) requiring 40‑year water plans for municipalities.
During questions, council members pressed on enforceability and monitoring. Koford and others said the state water engineer (Teresa) has rule‑making and monitoring authority and that metering has typically been part of implementing such dedicated or leasing arrangements. Several council members encouraged stronger municipal uptake of conservation measures and discussed limits on state authority when municipalities or HOAs restrict landscaping changes.
Koford framed the session as collaborative: "my whole goal was to bring people together," she said, and council members praised the stakeholder process and the compromises that led to passage. No council action was taken on the bills at the meeting; the presentation was informational.
