Utah lawmakers plan to reevaluate water rights held by mineral companies on the Great Salt Lake

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In the coming months, Utah lawmakers will likely take another look at the annual water rights held by mineral companies along the Great Salt Lake.

, R-Hooper, told KSL Newsradio he plans to introduce legislation aimed at these companies' water rights contracts. He said that many of the contracts haven't been reexamined since they were written.The Great Salt Lake ecosystem and how it's publicly viewed have changed a lot since then. The lake hit an all-time record low in November 2022 due to drought, climate change and water diversions.

Schultz's legislation would reexamine how much money these mineral companies contribute to the state. "If they use their full water amount, they would drop the lake 6 to 8 inches," Schultz said. But, to be fair, he said the company typically only uses 25% to 75% of that amount per year. "We don't have details about the proposed change. But US Magnesium will continue to focus on responsible mineral extraction that takes substantial amounts of salt along with the water – contributing to healthy Great Salt Lake salinity levels."While details of the legislation are still in the works, Schultz said the goal is to find a balance between the companies extracting minerals and preserving the Great Salt Lake.

 

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