A controversial project meant to allow a minerals extraction company to continue pumping water from the imperiled Great Salt Lake has been rejected by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
US Magnesium needed approval from both the U.S. Army Crops of Engineers and DEQ’s Division of Water Quality to dredge and extend its intake canals a collective 3.7 miles to reach the lake’s receding water. It would have allowed the company to pump up to 100,000 gallons a minute out of the lake, which has hit record-low elevations two years in a row.
The proposal proved controversial, with DEQ receiving a deluge of public comments in opposition. Scientists warned that siphoning away more water would have disastrous consequences for the lake, which has entered a phase of ecological collapse. The resulting dredged lakebed could also stifle microbialites, which are the foundation of the lake’s food web, and mix toxic material into the water column, researchers caution.
Retired U.S. Geological Survey scientist Robert Baskin, who spent years studying the Great Salt Lake, recently expressed alarm that the company’s plans were overly vague and did not fully explore their potential environmental toll. DEQ apparently agreed.
On Thursday afternoon, the agency issued a news release on behalf of the Division of Water Quality’s director announcing they’d denied the permit application, citing insufficient detail.
“Based on the information submitted for the proposed project,” the news release said, “the Director cannot determine whether the proposed discharge complies with applicable water quality requirements.”
BREAKING: @UtahDEQ just denied US Magnesium's permit to extend its intake canals on the Great Salt Lake. Story to come ... pic.twitter.com/qivDWT4Yqx
— Leia Larsen (@LeiaLarsen) December 29, 2022
DEQ is responsible for determining whether projects meet federal water quality standards under the Clean Water Act. The division director apparently requested a one-year extension from the Army Corps of Engineers to gather additional information to make a decision on US Magnesium’s proposal, but the federal agency denied the request.
US Magnesium can apply again for a dredging permit, the DEQ news release noted, but it will need to submit more information about water impacts and undergo another public comment period.
“The company will look at their options and decide,” said Tom Tripp, director of technical services for US Magnesium, when asked for comment.
This story will be updated.
This article is published through The Great Salt Lake Collaborative: A Solutions Journalism Initiative, a partnership of news, education and media organizations that aims to inform readers about the Great Salt Lake.
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