The Great Salt Lake

Water levels of the Great Salt Lake have been steadily declining since the late 1980’s, driven largely by Northern Utah’s excessive water use. The 4,200 Project is an initiative by the Great Salt Lake Waterkeeper of the Utah Rivers Council to restore the Great Salt Lake to the sustainable water level of 4,200 feet above sea level and 1,600 square miles of surface area. The 4,000 Project combines policy work with grassroots organizing to implement tangible, real solutions to solve the crisis faced by this unique and globally-significant ecosystem.

A range of solutions are outlined in the 4,200 Project Guidebook, which could raise Great Salt Lake water levels for the benefit of Utahns, visitors, and more than 10 million migratory birds. These policies are reasonable, effective, and many are supported by years of research.

Find out how you can help hold Utah’s elected officials accountable for implementing these measures to dedicate water to the Great Salt Lake by visiting our campaign website at 4200project.org You can also access the 4,200 Project Guidebook and join the community actually working to save the Great Salt Lake.  

The time to act is now, and we need your support.

Climate Change on the Colorado River

The Upper Colorado River Basin is facing significant water shortages as our climate continues to warm and snowpacks continue to shrink. Our new research report, A Future on Borrowed Time, shows that three of the four Upper Basin states are already overusing their rights to Colorado River water, and these deficits are sure to grow bigger as snowpacks shrink.

Our new research report is a call to action to abandon the unnecessary new water diversions that threaten existing water users on farms and in our cities. Unless water leaders in the Upper Basin get serious about reducing water use, water users will be forced to cut their water use in the future. The Colorado River has dropped nearly 20% in the last two decades and we haven’t reached the bottom of its flows yet. Why are our water suppliers ignoring climate change and proposing new diversions which threaten all of us?