To prevent the ecological, economic, and human catastrophe posed by the drying of the Great Salt Lake, this Act establishes permanent protections over the Wasatch watershed, bans non-essential diversions of water, mandates alternative water sourcing for urban and industrial uses, and guarantees sustainable water access for all residents without compromising the health of the land.

WHAT THIS ACT IS AND WHY IT'S URGENT

The Great Salt Lake is on track to dry up within the next five years if current water use continues unchecked. Salt Lake City, Provo, Ogden, and all surrounding cities depend on the Wasatch Mountains for water — but these same waters are what feed the lake. Without drastic change, Utah is heading toward a disaster that will make entire regions unlivable.

If the lake dries up:

The exposed lakebed will release arsenic-laced dust into the air.
Residents will suffer spikes in asthma, cancer, and neurological damage.
Agriculture will collapse as toxic dust lands on crops.
Salt Lake City and Provo may have to be evacuated as public health becomes impossible to sustain.
This has already happened elsewhere:

Owens Lake, once a vibrant body of water near Las Vegas, was drained by water diversions.
It became a toxic dust bowl.
California has spent over $2.1 billion trying to stop the dust — and still hasn’t solved the problem.
By contrast:

Preventing the Great Salt Lake from drying up would cost less than 1/3 of what California is spending fighting dust.
Investing now in recycling, conservation, and ecological flow will protect Utah’s air, water, economy, and health for generations.
This act takes firm, irreversible action:

It bans non-essential water use from the Wasatch Mountains.
It forces cities to switch to sustainable water alternatives.
It guarantees at least 2.5 million acre-feet flow to the lake every year.
And it ensures no loopholes, no exceptions, no more delays.
The time to act is now — and if we don't act the entire city of Salt Lake City will most likely become a ghost city and hundreds will die so we need to act now before the dust rises and the cities fall.