Diversion of the Bear River

What is the Bear River?

The Bear River is a river that passes through Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. It is the largest tributary of the Great Salt Lake, supplying over 60% of its annual inflow.

What is happening to it?

Plans are in place to divert the Bear River so that more water can be supplied to homes in northern Utah counties more efficiently – a project that would cost up to $2.9 billion. Despite these positives, this diversion will also have significant impacts on the future prosperity of the Great Salt Lake, which is a large source of revenue for the surrounding areas and feeds America’s largest remaining wetlands and bird populations.

 What will happen if the river is diverted?

By diverting the Bear River, an estimated 8.5-14 inches of water in the river would be lost every year. This will disrupt current recreational activities enjoyed at the lake for many previous generations.

Since the Bear River is a freshwater tributary, diminishing its flow will increase the salinity of the Great Salt Lake (henceforth GSL), depleting birds’ food supply and negatively impacting bird watching and duck hunting. The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge wetland will also be destroyed, negatively impacting bird migration. If water levels become too low, swimming, boating, and sailing will become even further restricted.

Not only will recreation activities be squandered, but severe economic consequences will arise from this diversion.

The GSL currently generates $1.32 billion in revenue and supports over 7,700 jobs, and existing wetlands are valued at $9.2 billion per year. If the water in the GSL reduces any further all of these factors will decline. Brine shrimp harvesting will be reduced or eliminated. This alone would result in $67 million in economic losses and the loss of 550+ jobs. The reconfiguration of evaporation ponds that will be necessary could cost the mineral industry $1.3 billion and 5,300+ jobs.

In addition, the uptake in saline dust will negatively impact soil of surrounding agricultural industry, especially in Box Elder County and Utah County. These increased dust events also pose threats to flight safety, leading to significant delays and increase in costs for SLC International Airport, as well as diminish property value in the surrounding areas. There will also be significant impacts on human health if the Bear River is diverted, and the Great Salt Lake dries any further. By diverting the Bear River, another 30-45 square miles of lakebed will be exposed, and arid regions, such as the valley, will easily accumulate high concentrations of saline and alkaline materials in the dust, increasing toxicity. PM10 can easily settle into deep in the lungs, increasing asthma, lung disease, and infection, with sources predicting from $13.6 million to $22.3 million in increased health costs.

 What can we do to help?

There are some things that citizens can do to help stave off the approval and initiation of this project. Conservation efforts have been pushing this project back since 1991, and the most recent study has shown that this won’t be needed until 2045-50. Further delays can be accomplished by: converting all indoor fixtures to more efficient models, reducing indoor leaks and other water waste, increasing secondary water metering, increasing irrigation efficiency, and decreasing use of high-water-use turf grasses in new development areas.