Introduction
The Great Salt Lake Preservation Program is a new opportunity for farmers to temporarily lease their water to the Great Salt Lake. Farmers that lease their water are paid for every acre they agree not to irrigate for a certain period of time. That water is then protected (or “dedicated”) by Utah’s State Engineer as it travels downstream toward the Great Salt Lake.
The program is open to both individual farming operations and entire irrigation companies to lease a portion of their water right to the Great Salt Lake. If you are a farmer who owns shares in a mutual irrigation company, you also may be eligible to participate, provided your irrigation company has signed an Operational Agreement with the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner. Additional eligibility criteria can be found below.
Applications to lease water in the Great Salt Lake Preservation Program close on November 30, 2026. Lease applications will be reviewed and awarded by January 1, 2027.
The Great Salt Lake is an important resource for Utah’s economy and a vital part of the state's natural history and ecosystem. The Great Salt Lake Preservation Program is an opportunity for farmers to contribute, on a voluntary and compensated basis, to its recovery.
Eligibility Criteria
The Great Salt Lake Preservation Program is limited to leases for water that can reasonably be dedicated to the Great Salt Lake. As such, not all farmers or irrigation companies will be eligible, even if they operate in the Great Salt Lake Basin. The following criteria must be met to be awarded a lease:
On-farm Leases
- An individual farming operation leasing water must enroll at least 5 irrigable acres of agricultural land within any one of the Program’s eight leasing zones
- If the leased water comes from shares in an irrigation or canal company, that irrigation or canal company must have signed an Operational Agreement with the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner
- The Preservation Program will only lease with Operators of the irrigable acreage
- An Operator is the individual, group, or business entity that has general control of a farming operation and makes daily management decisions for the current year.
- If the Operator is not the owner of the land, water shares, or water rights, then the owner must sign a Landowner Acknowledgement Agreement before the lease can be considered by the Preservation Board.
- The Great Salt Lake Preservation Program can only lease water affiliated with a field for the full season twice in any rolling five-year period.
- A split-season lease must be at least 28 days in length, meaning the farmer must agree to forego irrigation on their acreage for at least 28 days.
- Farmers who own their own water rights must complete a pre-consultation with the Division of Water Rights.
- Shareholders in irrigation or canal companies do not need to complete a pre-consultation.
Company-wide Leases:
- Irrigation or canal companies may choose to lease their water during a portion of the irrigation season by delaying the date they open their headgate or turning off their system early. The lease is valued per acre of the company’s service area, and is paid more, depending on how much of the hotter, drier portion of the summer the company stays shut off.
- Companies interested in leasing must first sign an Operational Agreement with the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner
- Companies interested in signing Operational Agreements should complete the Company-wide Lease application (available on Oct. 1).
- Operational Agreements require the company to submit a 10-year Dedicated Water Application with the Division of Water Rights, which allows for the temporary dedication of some of the company’s water to the Great Salt Lake.
- Enrollment Bonuses are available to companies that sign Operational Agreements, even if they choose not to engage in a Company-wide Lease.
- Companies interested in an Operational Agreement, a Company-wide Lease or both must complete a pre-consultation with the Division of Water Rights.
Lease Your Water
1. Determine the Price Offered on Your Field
(opens in a new tab)Leasing Zones Map
2. Review Split Season Leasing Opportunities
You can view the potential price for your preservation lease using the calculator below.
3. Complete Your Application
Contact us
We highly encourage you to complete an application with someone in our office.
Please reach out to Micah Safsten ([email protected]), (801) 648-0305 or Owen Ritzman ([email protected])