The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement Wednesday regarding the “extended drought” in areas across the Western United States and its impact on Utah’s Great Salt Lake.
“For several years, the Great Salt Lake has experienced increasingly critical low water levels,” the church’s statement reads. “We recognize that there is no single solution to this situation and that an ultimate resolution will depend on increased precipitation.
“It is, however, encouraging to see efforts by government entities, community groups, and concerned citizens as they work together to do what is possible to help preserve this vital natural resource.”
The statement was released nearly two months after the church’s Utah Area Presidency called on Utah members to do their part in conserving water resources.
“This is not a political issue, but a stewardship issue,” the Utah Area Presidency wrote in a June 30 letter sent to local church leaders.
“We ask all members in Utah, particularly those in communities surrounding the Great Salt Lake, to carefully consider personal ways to conserve valuable water resources.”
The church’s statement Wednesday reiterated that call for Latter-day Saints in Utah and other regions across the Western United States.
“We encourage our members, as residents and citizens, to take personal steps and to support public efforts that they deem to be most effective in conserving water,” the church’s statement reads.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has undertaken multiple conservation efforts to help address conditions in the Great Salt Lake Basin and beyond.
Since 2015, for instance, the church has donated and leased nearly 30,000 acre-feet of water to the Great Salt Lake, making the church one of the “largest single donors of water assets to the lake to date,” according to the statement published on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. These transactions help to increase water flow to the lake and protect existing water flow to the lake and surrounding habitats.
The church has also installed more than 3,100 smart irrigation controllers at its properties in the Intermountain West, including approximately 1,700 within the Great Salt Lake Basin. These smart controllers are estimated to save 500 million gallons of water annually.
Additionally, the church has retrofitted its properties — including temples, meetinghouses and other facilities — to use water-wise landscaping techniques, such as planting drought-tolerant plants and less turf grass.
The church’s renovations at Temple Square, for example, are estimated to save up to 20 million gallons of water annually once the landscaping is finished.
In various regions across the world facing drought and limited water resources, the church is also implementing water-saving principles for indoor and outdoor water use.
“We express gratitude to our Heavenly Father for his blessings and encourage the preservation and prudent use of resources he has entrusted to our care,” the church’s Wednesday release states.
“We also continue to join with friends of other faiths in prayer and fasting for respite from weather-related and other environmental challenges for all who may be affected.”
Learn more about the church’s efforts to care for the earth here.