5E: The Continuing Mission of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality

The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ ) works with state and local partners to carry out its mission of protecting Utah’s air, land, and water while supporting communities and growth statewide.

Recent examples include:

• Working with prospective data centers on the best locations to build in Utah without overburdening the Wasatch Front’s airshed.
• Installing 19 dust monitors around the Great Salt Lake and in the West Desert to track dust origins and examine for possible toxic elements.
• Testing all Utah K-12 schools for lead in drinking water by taking 1,158 samples at no cost to schools. Utah was the first state in the nation to do so.

Utah is a diverse state with majestic mountains, stunning canyons, wonderful communities, and life-giving rivers and lakes. Utah’s growth is inextricably linked to the health of its air, land, and water. Air pollution, energy production, affordable housing, and water conservation must all be addressed. These are significant challenges. Fortunately, Utahns are known for their grit and their ability to solve tricky challenges together.

In order to make progress on these challenges, Utah must begin by changing its relationship to water. Whether in the Sevier, Colorado, or the Great Salt Lake Basins, valuing water in everything we do is essential for agriculture, communities, and future generations. This year, DEQ’s Division of Drinking Water helped bring clean drinking water to rural communities in Apple Valley and Westwater for the first time.

Similarly, sustained improvements in air quality depend on the individual and collective choices Utahns make everyday. Building on decades of focus and investment,annual statewide emissions have plummeted over the last 25 years, despite adding more than a million Utahns during that same time period.

DEQ is charged with implementing state and federal environmental regulations. Working collaboratively across Utah, DEQ is committed to accelerating win-win solutions that enable businesses and communities to achieve healthy growth alongside improved air, land, and water quality.