- Environmental groups released a report criticizing the Utah Inland Port Authority's water use for projects in the Great Salt Lake Basin.
- They also say new legislation, SB225, restricts caps on water use for port authority projects, risking further strain on resources.
- The port authority denies claims, emphasizing local coordination when determining water use and economic development priorities.
Editor's note: This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake.
SALT LAKE CITY — A coalition of environmental and conservation groups on Wednesday released a report criticizing water use associated with inland port projects, calling for the Legislature to limit the amount of water those developments can use.
The report specifically pointed to Utah Inland Port Authority developments in the Great Salt Lake Basin — Salt Lake, Utah, Tooele, Weber and Box Elder counties — as stressing water resources.
"There's this cascade of impacts that come from dewatering these areas, and what the Utah Inland Port Authority is doing is incentivizing and fast-tracking development in these areas that will be very water consumptive," said Deeda Seed, senior campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. "The situation is very dire."
Dueling claims
The coalition — comprised of Center for Biological Diversity, Great Salt Lake Audubon, Stop the Polluting Ports and Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment — focused a bulk of their criticism on SB225, which they said will make the state's precarious water situation worse.
They criticize the bill, sponsored by Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, for not putting caps on water use for every inland port project area. Currently, the bill limits water use for projects in Salt Lake City to 200,000 gallons of water per day.
All other projects, opponents say, would have "free rein" to use as much water as they want if the current bill is passed.
"We call on the (Legislature) to put a cap on water use before we run dry," said Jonny Vasic, executive director of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.
Not mincing words, Utah Inland Port Authority Executive Director Ben Hart told KSL any claim that the port authority "is creating uncapped water opportunities is absolutely false and defamation."
"It's stupidly ignorant to say that," Hart said.
Stevenson, the bill sponsor, also defended how the legislation is currently written.
"Utah communities differ in their water systems, infrastructure capacity and economic priorities. That's why (Utah Inland Port Authority's) project area model is intentionally built on local coordination," he told KSL in a statement. "We remain committed to water conservation while supporting responsible economic development throughout our great state."
SB225 unanimously passed out of a Senate committee earlier this month with bipartisan support and is awaiting a vote in the full Senate.
Daniel Woodruff, KSLThe coalition also spoke in opposition to two potential data centers in Tooele and Utah counties.
"Right now, they're planning to build a data center complex right next to the Great Salt Lake and in Great Salt Lake wetlands, and then also in the Cedar Valley, where Fairfield and Eagle Mountain are. The port authority is subsidizing water for a data center," Seed said.
Hart also pushed back against this notion, saying the port authority isn't doing anything to "subsidize data center operations" across the state.
"We are working with counties to help build out infrastructure in appropriate places and ensure that we're attracting the right industrial users to those locations. We may see some data centers taking advantage of some of the industrial sites, but right now, the port authority has no plans whatsoever to subsidize data center operations," Hart said.
State leaders respond
Asked about the concerns raised by the environmental coalition, Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, acknowledged the state's precarious water situation, even as heavy snow from a rare winter storm fell outside his window.
"We're all sensitive to our water use," Adams said, sitting with other Senate leaders. "I don't think there's any of us that aren't aware of the challenges we have with water."
Adams said technology has improved, leading data centers to use less water. But with the state's efforts to be competitive with artificial intelligence, he said, those data centers are necessary.
Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy, said a one-size-fits-all rule wouldn't be effective.
"I think in our building permits and in planning and zoning, a lot of these safeguards are already in place," Cullimore said. "Whether it's (the) inland port or not, you still need county cooperation. You still need water rights."
Senate GOP leaders called state water policy "complex," requiring a variety of solutions. Yet, serious challenges remain. The state's snowpack this year is well below normal, and the Great Salt Lake is just a few feet above its record low.
"It's going to be very complicated," Adams said, "and we need to find a way to coexist and to be able to use water, and we're all committed 1,000% plus to save the Great Salt Lake."
