Biden is in Utah Wednesday to raise money and promote the PACT Act, a bill that expands health care coverage to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.
It’s unknown if he will bring up another critical water issue in Utah: the fate of the Great Salt Lake.
Though water scarcity is a perennial problem in the West, the shrinking of the Great Salt Lake exists on a whole other plane of urgency. Utah is trying to arrive at solutions and Brad Blanch may be one of them.
Blanch, who lives at the far reaches of western Weber County, inherited land once owned by his grandfather and used for alfalfa and onions. Over the years he has also acquired more property, including two parcels of 160 acres and 60 acres, but has never utilized the land to farm.
So, Blanch's 500-acre feet of water flowed by entirely unused. That is until he contacted the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust to dedicate some of his water rights to help save the Great Salt Lake.
Following the passage of HB33 in 2022, water rights can now be leased to the Great Salt Lake and still be considered "beneficial use." In Blanch’s case, this allows him to put his unused water to use and still hang onto it for future plans he might have.
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