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Water lawyers: Utah has changed laws but time is short to recover Great Salt Lake
Summary
Emily Lewis, a water lawyer, said Utah has created new statutory pathways and water‑leasing programs for the lake and secured some inflows, but recovering the lake will require more policy work and time to implement programs effectively.
Emily Lewis, a water lawyer on the panel, described recent legal and programmatic changes in Utah designed to benefit the Great Salt Lake. She said the state has created in‑stream flow mechanisms and two water‑leasing programs, and emphasized that Western water law (prior appropriation) can be adapted to support conservation. "In my opinion, I'm a fan of the prior appropriation doctrine," Lewis said, adding that recent statutory adjustments have allowed new approaches to moving water toward the lake.
Lewis also summarized implementation steps and funding: municipal conservation measures (tiered water rates, turf‑replacement programs, smart‑meter rollouts), and agricultural programs—she noted approximately $200,000,000 invested in ag optimization projects and that the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust had secured about 160,000 acre‑feet for the lake. She cautioned that programs take time to function and that more work remains to turn legal changes into sustained inflows.
