Senator continues years-long effort to help save Utah’s iconic body of water
The Senate Appropriations Committee recently passed two measures offered by Senator Romney (R-UT) that fund his years-long effort to save the Great Salt Lake. The first program funded—authorized as a part of Romney’s Great Salt Lake Recovery Act, which was signed into law in 2022—encourages the Army Corps of Engineers to research methods to monitor and assess the hydrology of the Great Salt Lake, including providing contracts to the state of Utah. The second program funded—authorized as part of the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA)—is for a feasibility study to improve ecosystem restoration and water supply in the Lake. This new federal funding would support ongoing efforts by Utah state and local leaders.
“For the last several years, I have made it a top priority to preserve and protect our iconic Great Salt Lake,” Senator Romney said. “I’m glad to see the Appropriations Committee provide funding for my legislation that complements the work being done by the State of Utah to develop a permanent solution to save our Great Salt Lake. We are another step closer to ensuring this critical body of water remains a part of our landscape and ecosystem for many generations to come.”
Romney measures approved by the Appropriations Committee:
- Great Basin Saline Lakes Monitoring: Encourages the Army Corps of Engineers to assess the hydrology of saline lake ecosystems in the Great Basin, including the Great Salt Lake, in order to help inform management and conservation activities for these ecosystems. This would be coordinated with state, local, and tribal governments in Utah.
- Great Salt Lake Ecosystem and Water Supply Project: Provides funding for a feasibility study to improve ecosystem restoration and water supply in the Great Salt Lake. Upon completion of the study, the Army Corps of Engineers would recommend solutions that could be implemented by the state and federal government to improve the long-term viability of the Lake.
At a time when the water levels were at a historic low in the summer of 2022, Romney toured the Great Salt Lake and saw firsthand implications of the receding Lake. At the end of 2022, President Biden signed into law Romney’s Great Salt Lake Recovery Act, legislation to study historic drought conditions and protect the long-term health of the Great Salt Lake. The President also signed into law the Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Program Act—Romney’s bipartisan legislation that he first introduced in 2020—to facilitate an integrated regional assessment of saline lake ecosystems and fill a critical data gap that has made it nearly impossible to address a variety of problems caused by declining water levels.
