Mind the Gap: Yearlong Analysis Identifies Diverse Water Measurement Needs in Great Salt Lake Basin

Following a yearlong collaborative effort, the Utah Division of Water Rights and Utah State University researchers Eileen Lukens, Eryn Turney, Sarah Null and Bethany Neilson just released the results of a study that improves understanding of how water moves through the Great Salt Lake basin and helps identify where investments in stream and diversion flow gaging instruments are needed to better manage water in the area.

Water-related topics have received a lot of attention in the Great Salt Lake basin over the past several years. A number of bills passed recently by the state legislature regarding water management in the region recognize that managing and protecting Utah’s water is only possible with data that quantifies, tracks and records available water.

More than 160 stakeholders contributed to this large-scale effort to understand the diverse measurement needs in the Great Salt Lake basin. The report, titled "Measurement Infrastructure Gap Analysis in Utah’s Great Salt Lake Basin," summarizes the study findings and identifies potential gaps in the current stream and diversion measurement infrastructure network. Participating gap analysis stakeholders included Division of Water rights staff, private water users, and individuals at both public and private organizations representing city, state and federal entities.

“Without the interactions with on-the-ground experts, data collected as part of this effort would not have been complete,” said Eileen Lukens, one of the four researchers who conducted the study. “It was amazing to learn from these individuals who have such in-depth local knowledge of water movement in their communities and are passionate about conserving, managing, and studying water resources in the Great Salt Lake basin.”

The sheer volume of stakeholders throughout the basin that were excited to participate in the gap analysis was far beyond what the researchers expected when they started this effort, according to USU researcher Eryn Turney, but that’s what made an effort of this scale possible.

“It was clear to us after interacting with so many people with such diverse backgrounds and needs for these water resources that, despite their varying objectives, everyone is genuinely interested in having more data to fairly and responsibly manage water,” Turney said.

Results of the gap analysis are a first step toward identifying locations where new or improved hydrologic data could enhance water management throughout the Great Salt Lake basin. The data collected and presented in the report include map products that allow stakeholders to see where different entities are interested in maintaining or adding measurement infrastructure. This includes locations where many groups are interested in having good measurements.

“The costs for both the physical infrastructure and the ongoing maintenance of a site can be challenging to cover, so by connecting those with interests at similar locations, organizations throughout the basin can collaborate to make the infrastructure installations and upgrades needed to better facilitate their diverse water resource objectives,” Lukens said.

“There are still differing perspectives and ideas about how to best address water measurement gaps in the Great Salt Lake basin, with a lot of different needs for limited water resources,” Turney added, “but it has been exciting to see the enthusiasm of stakeholders when it comes to collaboration on water measurements that will ensure a resilient water supply for the basin as a whole.”

The entire "Measurement Infrastructure Gap Analysis in Utah’s Great Salt Lake Basin" report has been published and is available on HydroShare.