A cooperative agreement pending approval from resource managers will result in an additional 635 acre-feet of water to help the Great Salt Lake.
The water would come from the historic Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity, a Trappist Cistercian monastery established in Ogden Valley in 1947. For more than 70 years, monks not only ran the Huntsville monastery but supported themselves by farming the land and keeping bees.
It is now known as the Abbey Farm, acquired by Bill White, who agreed to a conservation easement to keep the land intact.
“We’re not losing any farming or production. Instead, we’re utilizing the land more efficiently by switching our less productive fields to dry farming techniques, which enables us to keep the land in production and send that saved water to help Great Salt Lake,” said White, who bought the land in 2017.
The agreement came about as part of a cooperative agreement among the National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy, as co-leaders of the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust, the Summit Land Conservancy and White.
“When Summit Land Conservancy saves farms and ranches across the Wasatch Back, we’re saving the watershed for the Great Salt Lake,” explained Cheryl Fox, chief executive officer of Summit Land Conservancy.
“Water is now available to return to the lake, rather than being diverted to a subdivision, thanks to our partners, including Bill White, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ogden Valley Land Trust, and many individual donors.”
The Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust, along with its partners, the Utah Divisions of Forestry, Fire and State Lands and Wildlife Resources, have been securing new and existing water flows for the Great Salt Lake over the past three years. The trust’s involvement was the final piece in the puzzle to actualize this water transaction for the lake.
“This is an innovative project that preserves farmland and delivers water to benefit Great Salt Lake,” said Marcelle Shoop, executive director of the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust.
“The foresight of Bill White and the Summit Land Conservancy, and their willingness to pilot new ideas in partnership with the trust, and the Utah Divisions of Wildlife Resources and Forestry, Fire and State Lands, illustrates the importance of broad collaboration to meet the challenges facing the Lake and communities,” she added.
The trust and collective effort by farmers aimed at the Great Salt Lake
The project also is made possible through partnership with the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, which administers water supplies throughout the Weber River watershed, including the Ogden River.
Using the extensive monitoring and delivery infrastructure managed by the district, the water leased through this program will be tracked and measured as it reaches critical habitats within the Great Salt Lake boundary. Coordination with the district on projects like this ensures that water is delivered exactly where it is needed.
As the Great Salt Lake dwindled to record lows in recent years, the agricultural community has faced mounting pressure on its water consumption and has been looked to as possible partners in addressing challenges to the Great Salt Lake.
“Farmers care just as much about Great Salt Lake as anyone, and we’re doing our part to help keep water in the lake,” said White, who had the initial idea to dedicate his saved water to the Great Salt Lake.
“Conservation easements like this might not work for every farm, but investing in solutions that keep farmers farming and also send water to the lake can inspire others across the agricultural sector to lean into creative partnerships and implement new ideas,” said Spencer Gibbons, chief executive officer of the Utah Farm Bureau.
The change application for the water transaction is still pending and is anticipated to be approved next year.
“We are grateful to see continued progress as we work together to protect and preserve the lake,” Great Salt Lake Commissioner Brian Steed said. “Every contribution, large or small, plays an important part in our ongoing efforts to support the lake.”
The trust has worked with farmers, ranchers and other entities across the state to secure water for the lake via temporary or permanent lease agreements.
Water experts say it will take 200,000 acre-feet of water to bring the Great Salt Lake to its ideal level.
The lake, the largest terminal body of water in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth largest in the world, is suffering from the effects of drought and diversions.
Utah lawmakers set up the office of the Great Salt Lake commissioner and have taken numerous steps to stave off what could be disastrous impacts should it dwindle to nothing.
In 2022, then-House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, convened the first Great Salt Lake Summit and a handful of lawmakers took a tour to see just how bad conditions are. Many walked away stunned.