FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SALT LAKE CITY (July 11, 2024) – The Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner has finalized a year one report on its efforts in the first year since its creation, including current lake conditions, strategic plan implementation, legislative actions and investment.
“The first year of the Commissioner’s Office has been an incredibly fruitful and busy time. We have met with people throughout the Great Salt Lake Basin to hear their hopes, fears and solutions for the long-term health of the lake,” Great Salt Lake Commissioner Brian Steed said. “We now have a common long-term vision for the lake that is embodied in the Great Salt Lake Strategic Plan. As a result, all Utahns can now work together, in the same direction for the lake.”
The Legislature created the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner in 2023 to coordinate Great Salt Lake efforts across the state. The inaugural year of the office has been dedicated to building upon the already-begun work by various agencies and partners and creating a shared vision for the Great Salt Lake.
“We’ve learned two main lessons in this first year,” Deputy Great Salt Lake Commissioner Tim Davis said. “First, it is going to take everyone voluntarily conserving, dedicating and delivering water to the lake, in dry and wet years, to get the lake to the healthy, target range. Second, there is no quick fix. We need to be committed to this effort for the long haul.”
The Commissioner’s Office was mandated to establish and oversee the implementation of a strategic plan for the lake’s long-term health. This process was completed in December of 2023. The newly released year one report discusses the four objectives laid out in the strategic plan and how the state has made progress in those over the past year on its short-, medium- and long-term actions for the lake.
It is critical to note that the Commissioner’s Office is not acting alone, but working with 12 state agencies, local districts and communities, farmers, irrigation companies, businesses, churches, federal partners and others to implement the strategic plan. As the report says, “The Commissioner’s Office was established to coordinate and “quarterback” th(e)se efforts.”
The report also includes significant legislation and legislative investment both directly to the lake and funding toward statewide water conservation, wetland restoration or endangered species that include the Great Salt Lake Basin.
Media Contact
Madison Weber
Public Information Officer | Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner
[email protected]
801-644-5852
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About the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner
In 2023, the Utah Legislature created the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner. The commissioner is tasked with developing and maintaining a strategic plan as well as coordinating collaborative work among all agencies and interests in relation to the lake.