A Utah lawmaker is floating a specialized appropriation to pay farmers in Utah to conserve water in the hopes of raising the level of the Great Salt Lake.
Although the language of the proposal has not yet been finalized, Rep. Doug Owens (D-33-Millcreek) told WLJ the Utah Department of Agriculture, in conjunction with Utah State University Extension, would devise a handout to guide farmers through the process of applying for an existing program to pay farmers to lease water.
“It will have the state set a price to pay for leasing water for a season or whatever time period suits the farmer,” Owens said. “Then the farmer can decide if the economics are such that it makes sense they can lease the water.”
Owens said the proposal is not a “pay to fallow” program. Instead, Owens is proposing “split season leasing,” where if a farmer decides late in the season, for example, to forego the third or fourth cutting of alfalfa, they can receive payment to let the water go to the Great Salt Lake.
Owens said that measuring how much water is diverted would require some work ahead of time and would involve the state engineer. A change application by the state engineer would need to be in place so farmers could easily access and expedite the process.
The water level in the Great Salt Lake has continued to drop due to drought, water diversion and climate change. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, it has dropped 11 feet since measurements began in the late 19th century. The current lake level is 4,192.7 feet at the USGS Great Salt Lake at Saltair Boat Harbor.
Owens said the program would initially be in the pilot phase to areas where the water could be measured and traced. When systems are in place, the program could be rolled out statewide. Owens continued there are two areas in the state where the measurement capacity of water is functional. Owens said the proposal hopes to stipulate that if farmers receives an amount early in the growing season and the state increases the lease amount, they would receive the difference.
“We don’t want people holding back thinking they are going to get more later in the season,” Owens said. “We want to make it so farmers take advantage early because they are protected if the price goes up later they will receive a differential and not lose out.”
Owens said the program would be strictly voluntary and farmers would not be beholden to any contracts.
To help farmers save water and use it efficiently, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food has the Agricultural Water Optimization Program. It is a cost-share program designed to improve water usage by installing real-time metering and filing annual reports on water usage and crop production for three years after completion. The application period for 2024 is currently open until Jan. 31 at tinyurl.com/4dvrsbrj.
Owens said he hoped to have the program in place last year when it was a wet year, but the request for appropriation is currently being drafted. Implementing the program would require funding for setting up the program and paying the farmers.
“I think we will get the administrative portion of the program in time for summer or late summer to have it available to start running the pilot program,” Owens said. — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
