Joint Study Details Surface Water Movement, Measurement Need Across Great Salt Lake Ecosystem

SALT LAKE CITY — Researchers at Utah State University just completed a joint study with the Utah Division of Water Rights to better understand surface water movement and measurement near Great Salt Lake.

The critical study comes as efforts are underway by the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust, Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner and other agencies to increase flows to benefit the lake's diverse objectives including lake level, habitat and salinity.

By speaking with local water managers, USU researchers were able to gather key information about how surface water moves throughout the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, inclusive of Great Salt Lake’s peripheral wetlands and its water body, as well as document existing measurement infrastructure, which was previously unavailable in one location.

This study builds upon a report released by the same team in 2024 which looked at measurement gaps in the Great Salt Lake basin.

“This information was not included in the first report because we realized we needed extra time to understand the important nuances of the whole lake ecosystem connectivity,” said Eileen Lukens, a Utah Water Research Laboratory researcher on the project.

Measurement of the water flowing to the Great Salt Lake commonly relies on four gages upstream of Great Salt Lake’s peripheral wetland complexes with little measurement below those points prior to 2024, according to USU researcher Eryn Turney. This unique study involved a three-season field campaign in which the USU team visited sites at the last measurable points of inflow to Great Salt Lake.

“We realized that there was a gap in our understanding of how water moves not only to Great Salt Lake’s ecosystem as a whole, but also between distinctive portions of the ecosystem like the wetlands and water body,” Turney said. “We wanted to understand the interconnection of these areas and how increased measurement could facilitate future water delivery.”

With this in mind, USU researchers were able to identify locations where additional measurement infrastructure is needed to aid in lake-oriented objectives as well as develop diagrams to identify potential pathways for water delivery to areas of Great Salt Lake’s ecosystem.

“This study is an important step forward in understanding how water moves through the Great Salt Lake ecosystem,” said Division of Water Rights Deputy State Engineer Blake Bingham. “By identifying where additional measurement is needed, we can make better-informed decisions that support management objectives of the lake and water distribution across the basin. Collaboration like this between state agencies and our research partners strengthens our ability to administer and distribute water rights with greater confidence and transparency.”

Lukens added that their work is a part of a larger whole made up of many lake stakeholders with projects underway that contribute to tracking and managing water.

“The United States Geological Survey, Division of Water Rights and other agencies made huge efforts this past year while our study was underway to address some of the measurement gaps around the lake.” Lukens said. “Although there are still more gaps to address, we are a lot closer to understanding inflow to Great Salt Lake now.”

The full report entitled “Evaluating Surface Water Movement and Measurement near Great Salt Lake” and its associated resources have been published and made available on HydroShare.

Citation

Turney, E., E. Lukens, S. Null, B. Neilson (2025). Evaluating Surface Water Movement and Measurement near Great Salt Lake, HydroShare, https://doi.org/10.4211/hs.4dff7b44bc574fb29beaa6ee56adbddd