Utah's Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands confirmed it was investigating the situation with Compass Minerals at a hearing earlier this week before the Utah State Legislature's powerful Legislative Water Development Commission. FOX 13 News was at the meeting when the issue was raised.
"It requires a significant amount of not only lake water, but drinking water as well, potable water in that production," Scott Paxman, the head of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District and a member of the Legislative Water Development Commission, said in the meeting."We’re struggling with the concept of furnishing that much water to one new industry that takes water away from the population, basically.
Asked if the pilot project Compass Minerals was engaged in was legal and authorized, Barnes replied:"That’s a disputed fact that we’re trying to get the bottom of." "Compass Minerals publicly announced on July 13, 2021 that our company was undertaking a strategic resource assessment in pursuit of developing a sustainable lithium resource as a co-product of our existing mineral production on the Great Salt Lake and under our existing mineral and water rights. In that same announcement, we advised that we were undertaking ongoing pilot projects with our produced brine to test various direct lithium extraction technologies," the company said.
"In our more than a half-century of operating on the Great Salt Lake, our company has always prioritized responsible operations, working hand-in-hand with the State of Utah and numerous other stakeholders on the lake to create significant economic value while ensuring a healthy lake environment," CEO Kevin Crutchfield wrote in the letter shared with FOX 13 News, adding:"We look forward to engaging in continued meaningful and professional discussions with FFSL and other interested...
Brian Steed, the newly-appointed Great Salt Lake Commissioner who is tasked by the state legislature and governor with coming up with plans to save the lake, told FOX 13 News he shared the Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands' concerns.