Proposed cuts to federal programs threaten Utah’s water supply

It’s no secret that President Trump wants to cut the Inflation Reduction Act, but what you should know is that a lot of federal dollars directly support Utah’s water supply.

In 2022, a study published in Nature stated that, “2000-2021 was the driest 22 year period since at least 800.” Large droughts such as these coupled with other anthropogenic stressors, makes it difficult for major waterways and reservoirs throughout the southwest to maintain water in such areas. This is especially prevalent and problematic for the Colorado River. In 1921, the Upper Basin States: Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico and Lower Basin States: California, Nevada, and Arizona, split the water in the Colorado River Amongst themselves. Originally, they allocated 17.5 million acre feet of water to be used per year. Unfortunately, the river has only been able to provide 10 million acre feet of water per year, and dries up before it reaches the Pacific Ocean. Thankfully, there’s something you can do to help right now.

At the moment, states arguing amongst themselves who legally has to take the cuts in water allotment. We, the Upper Basin states, argue that they can’t make many more cuts. As the negotiator for New Mexico says, “…the lion’s share of what needs to be done has to be done by the lower basin states.” While Arizona, California, and Nevada most definitely need to make major reductions in water use, the Colorado belongs to all of us, so we too must all do our part.

But, for the sake of an argument, let’s say we only care about looking out for Utah. We still have our own personal troubles. In 2022, the Great Salt Lake reached the lowest levels ever recorded, covering less than a third of what it did in 1986. If inflow continues to decrease and the levels drop much lower, the results would be disastrous. As the soil contains arsenic beneath a crust, exposure to the wind for a certain amount of time would lead this toxic metal to go airborne. Additionally, it would be a massive hit for our economy. Due to the Lake Effect, we would get less snow, heavier snow, and the seasons would be shorter, greatly impacting the ecotourism industry. Unfortunately, the main tributaries feeding the Great Salt Lake are the Bear and Jordan Rivers, whose annual streamflow has been steadily declining since 1980. Needless to say, we need to make changes.

Thankfully we have already been working towards this goal. Last year the state legislature passed Senate Bill 18 which enables farmers to sell or temporarily “rent” water to the Great Salt Lake that they have conserved from water-saving technologies. This shifts the “use it or lose it” water right policy that has previously been the mentality of farmers throughout the state. However, it should be noted that water tracking is difficult and allocating these water rights will not be easy. Water tracking meters throughout the state are outdated. Money will need to be invested to bring these up to date.

Additionally, in 2019, Utah started the Agricultural Water Optimization Project . It has invested over $73 million, saving 170 KAF/year. Over $62 million more was requested than awarded, so demand is high. As Utah Senate Bill 277 passed, $200 million more was given to this program, $170 million of which comes from our state and $30 million of which comes from the federal American Rescue Plan (ARPA) which passed in 2021. While this is a significant amount of money, it is only a one-time investment. 

Finally, we have the System Conservation Pilot Program. Funded by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, it pays farmers not to farm – a radical idea. In 2023, over 15,000 acre feet of water were saved. Unfortunately, President Trump is trying to undo the Inflation Reduction Act. As this program is funded through that act, Utah will need to fund the program themselves if Trump accomplishes his goal. 

To a second point, on average, Utah has used 1,329 KAF of water per year for agriculture from 2001 to 2020. However, this amount is highly variable as seen above. I took water data from the University of Utah and crop production data from Utah Agricultural Statistics and Summary Report from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food to analyze water yield vs. crop production. Fruit production is ignored as it is minimal as compared to crops. Additionally, as Utah is a cold desert biome, summer precipitation is ignored as it is minimal.

As seen in the graph below, as water depletion increases, crop yield does not necessarily increase. In fact, in three out of four crops, yield decreased as water increased. However, it should be noted that r2 values are incredibly small. At most, 11% of the variance in the data is accounted for by change in water depletion. This tells us that water depletion does not play a significant role in crop yield. So, in theory, we can potentially mandate a decrease in agricultural water use of up to 20.6% of our agricultural water use and maintain the same yield. However, this would clash with many existing water rules. As the “Use it or lose it” mentality remains in place, Senate Bill 18 would need to be expanded or another more expansive bill would need to be introduced. 

While helping to save the Colorado River may not be our duty, it is the right thing to do. While many initiatives have been taken up – AWOP, SCPP, and various state bills – more needs to be done. I am a seventeen year old girl who sat down with my computer for a couple hours and found multiple ways to help potentially save water because I was bored during school. With the man and brainpower within Utah, whether it be legislators, engineers, project managers, farmers, or even kids like myself, I know we have the ability to minimize our destructive impact, save our lake, and help out the rest of the southwest in the process. 

However, we cannot do any of that without funding. Funding that will need to continue for decades. Right now, that funding is being taken away. While we should and could consider raising outdoor water tax on municipalities to fund programs such as these (as that would also incentivize reduction in unnecessary water use by normal citizens), that places a burden on us and our families and our future paychecks. It also means this place we love so much and want to have a future in, will be critically threatened. Our ski resorts will run out of water for snow, rivers will be too low to rafter, reservoirs will no longer be outdoor playgrounds, and the generations ahead of us will not be privileged to the same childhood we experienced.  

So, I implore you to go to rallies, call and write emails to your representatives demanding them to ask President Trump and Elon Musk to reconsider cutting that portion of the Inflation Reduction Act, and other programs that are helping the West to combat this issue. We need to conserve as much water as we can, and we need federal help. If you stand up for nothing else, please take a stand for this.