The 2026 session built on four years of sustained Great Salt Lake legislation with three new bills and a federal cost-sharing resolution – alongside the US Magnesium purchase that represents one of the state’s most direct interventions in the lake’s history.
HB 247, Great Salt Lake Related Amendments, carried by Rep. Ray Ward and Sen. Scott Sandall, expanded annual funding for the lake by increasing the brine shrimp royalty tax and directing that revenue into the Sovereign Lands Management Account. Those funds can be used to lease water rights for the lake or support projects that maintain the health of the lake’s brine shrimp population, a resource critical to the global food supply.
HB 410, the Great Salt Lake Preservation Program, carried by Rep. Jill Koford and Sen. Scott Sandall, created a $2.75 million fund designed to lease agricultural water for the lake. Farmers who participate receive fair compensation based on real market data, like the five-year average price of alfalfa hay, without permanently forfeiting their water rights. Split-season options allow producers to lease water for at least four weeks while continuing their operations for the remainder of the year, removing a longstanding barrier to voluntary conservation.
HCR 9, Concurrent Resolution Addressing the Great Salt Lake, carried by Rep. Joseph Elison and Sen. Scott Sandall, formally acknowledged the lake’s importance to Utah’s economy and residents and laid the groundwork for a state-federal cost-sharing partnership. The resolution followed President Trump’s February 2026 pledge to help save the lake.
The federal commitment has already produced tangible results. The Trump administration settled a century-long legal dispute between Utah and the federal government over 22,000 acres of Great Salt Lake wetlands near Brigham City for $60 million, significantly better than the $15 million previously offered. House Majority Leader Casey Snider called the settlement the first example of Trump following through on his commitment to help save the lake.
What Is the US Magnesium Purchase, and Why Does It Matter?
US Magnesium operated on the Great Salt Lake’s south shore for decades as one of the most significant threats to the lake’s health. Once the sole domestic producer of magnesium in the United States, the company has a long history of releasing pollutants that contaminated surrounding soil, air, and groundwater. Effective production ceased around 2021 due to economic, environmental, and operational failures.
After moving to terminate US Magnesium’s lease in 2024 for multiple breaches and non-compliance with regulatory requirements, the state sought a court-appointed receiver to oversee the site. When US Magnesium filed for bankruptcy in 2025, the Legislature authorized the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands – the state’s executive authority over sovereign lands – to bid in the bankruptcy proceedings. The state won.
The $30 million purchase, funded in the 2026 budget, gives Utah ownership of US Magnesium’s water rights – totaling 144,000 acre-feet annually – and other assets on the lake. Acquiring those water rights means the state can halt any unnecessary withdrawals from the south arm, prioritizing water toward the lake and stabilizing the ecosystem’s health.
A Record of Action: Great Salt Lake Legislation Since 2022
The 2026 session is the culmination of four consecutive years of Great Salt Lake legislation, each building on the last. The Legislature’s strategy combines water rights reform, conservation funding, mineral extraction accountability, and direct state acquisition of critical assets.
2022: The Foundation — $53 Million and a New Water Trust
Record low lake levels in 2022 triggered the Legislature’s first major response. HB 410, Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement, carried by Rep. Brad Wilson and Sen. Evan Vickers, created a dedicated Water Trust with a $40 million appropriation for conservation projects. HB 33 streamlined voluntary water transfers to keep more water flowing to the lake, and HB 157 created a dedicated funding account by reinvesting mineral royalty revenues back into Great Salt Lake preservation.
2023: Dedicated Leadership and $200 Million for Agricultural Conservation
HB 491, carried by Speaker Mike Schultz and Sen. Scott Sandall, established the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner – a dedicated state leader empowered to coordinate across agencies, balance competing interests, and ensure collective action supports the lake’s overall health. SB 277 appropriated $200 million for the Agricultural Water Optimization program, funding new water-saving technologies that allow farmers to maintain their yields while reducing the amount of water needed to grow crops. HB 513 required mineral extraction companies to begin shifting to non-evaporative production methods, reducing industrial water loss from the lake.
2024: Reassessing the Mineral Tax — and the Compass Minerals Breakthrough
HB 453, Great Salt Lake Revisions, carried by Rep. Casey Snider and Sen. Scott Sandall, tripled the severance tax on mineral extraction at the lake – from 2.6% to 7.8% – and established a framework of incentives for mineral companies to voluntarily reduce their water use. The bill directly enabled a historic voluntary agreement signed in September 2024 with Compass Minerals, one of the largest water users on the lake.
Under the Compass Minerals agreement, the company permanently donated more than 200,000 acre-feet of water annually – more water than the Causey, Echo, Pineview, Lost Creek, and Rockport reservoirs combined – for the benefit of the Great Salt Lake. The agreement also includes progressive brine withdrawal caps tied to lake elevation: when the lake falls to critical levels, Compass agreed to suspend operations entirely. The company additionally returned nearly 65,000 acres of lakebed leasehold to the state for conservation in perpetuity. House Speaker Mike Schultz called it “a major milestone in addressing these issues for the next century.”
2025: Empowering the Commissioner to Act Quickly
HB 446, carried by Rep. Jill Koford and Sen. Scott Sandall, gave the Great Salt Lake Commissioner direct authority to negotiate and acquire or lease water rights for the lake – bypassing standard procurement timelines when urgency demands it. The bill also extended the timeline for managing the adaptive berm between Gilbert and Gunnison Bays to better balance salinity and lake levels.
What Does This Mean for Utahns?
Four years of sustained legislative investment have produced a fundamentally different legal and operational landscape for the Great Salt Lake. The cumulative commitment, more than $300 million in appropriations, more than 200,000 acre-feet of water secured annually through the Compass Minerals agreement, the $30 million US Magnesium acquisition, and an active federal partnership – represents the most serious state-level effort to rescue a major American inland body of water in recent history.
The lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. It supports a $1.3 billion brine shrimp and mineral industry, provides critical habitat for millions of migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway, and generates the lake-effect snowpack that feeds northern Utah’s water supply.
For Utah’s agricultural community, the 2026 legislation means voluntary conservation tools that pay fairly without forcing the permanent surrender of water rights. For the state’s mineral industry, it means a framework for responsible production that keeps critical domestic manufacturing viable. And with President Trump’s engagement and a $60 million federal settlement already delivered, the state is positioned to make the case for the billion-dollar federal partnership that lake experts say is ultimately required.
The Utah House Majority committed before session to protecting and restoring the Great Salt Lake. The bills passed in 2026, and the years of legislation that made them possible, delivered on that commitment.
The Utah House Majority committed before session to protecting and restoring the Great Salt Lake. The bills passed in 2026 π and the years of legislation that made them possible – delivered on that commitment. Protecting the lake is a long-term mission, and the Legislature remains committed to continuing that work alongside agriculture, industry, water users, conservation organizations, and community partners.
Frequently Asked Questions About Utah's Great Salt Lake Legislation
Why did President Trump get involved with the Great Salt Lake?
In February 2026, President Trump declared the Great Salt Lake an environmental emergency after meeting with Gov. Spencer Cox at the National Governors Association conference. Trump posted on Truth Social that saving the lake was of “tremendous interest” to him and pledged to make “‘The Lake’ GREAT AGAIN.” Utah leaders are preparing a formal funding request to the White House. The Trump administration has already settled a century-long wetlands dispute for $60 million – four times what was previously offered.
What is the Compass Minerals water agreement?
In September 2024, Compass Minerals signed a voluntary agreement with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands to permanently donate more than 200,000 acre-feet of water annually to the Great Salt Lake. The deal also includes progressive caps on the company’s remaining water withdrawals tied to lake levels, and the return of 65,000 acres of lakebed to the state. The agreement was made possible by HB 453, passed in the 2024 legislative session.
Why did Utah buy US Magnesium's assets?
US Magnesium, a federal Superfund site on the lake’s south shore, filed for bankruptcy in 2025 after decades of contaminating the surrounding area. The Utah Legislature authorized the state to bid in the bankruptcy proceedings, and the state won, purchasing 144,000 acre-feet of water rights annually and other assets for $30 million. Owning those rights allows Utah to stop unnecessary withdrawals from the lake’s south arm and partner with the EPA on environmental reclamation of the Superfund site.
What is the Great Salt Lake Preservation Program?
Created by HB 410 in the 2026 session, the Great Salt Lake Preservation Program provides $2.75 million to lease agricultural water for the lake. Participating farmers receive fair market compensation without permanently forfeiting their water rights. Split-season options allow them to lease water for part of the year while maintaining operations for the rest – removing a major barrier to voluntary conservation.
How much has Utah invested in the Great Salt Lake since 2022?
The Utah Legislature has appropriated more than $300 million for Great Salt Lake conservation since 2022, including $40 million for the Watershed Enhancement Program, $200 million for agricultural water optimization, $30 million for the US Magnesium purchase, and $2.75 million for the new Great Salt Lake Preservation Program. That total does not include the federal $60 million wetlands settlement secured through the Trump administration in 2026.
For more on the Utah House Majority’s 2026 session priorities, visit the House Majority website. To read the official bill text, visit le.utah.gov.