SALT LAKE CITY — Sept. 29, 2025 — Utah leaders have just announced a $200 million public-private partnership to restore Great Salt Lake by 2034. This “Great Salt Lake 2034 Charter” unites government, philanthropic, non-profit, and business leaders behind an unparalleled effort to refill the lake before the 2034 Winter Olympics. Nearly all the world’s salt lakes are in decline, and no saline lake has been successfully restored.
Gov. Spencer Cox, House Speaker Mike Schultz, and Senate President Stuart Adams joined philanthropic leaders, including a new nongovernmental coalition called Great Salt Lake Rising led by Josh Romney—which pledged $100 million to projects that will deliver water to the lake, and Ducks Unlimited—which committed another $100 million to wetlands conservation.
“When the world gathers in Utah in 2034, we want to tell the story of how our community achieved what no other has—restoring a saline lake,” said Romney, founder and president of The Romney Group. “This is Utah at its best—working together, focused on outcomes, and protecting what we love.”
Built on years of groundwork, this new coalition has come together in just a few months to to turn a 30-year aspiration into an eight-year target. That momentum builds on earlier progress: Utah lawmakers have already appointed a Great Salt Lake Commissioner, modernized water rights, and launched hundreds of agricultural optimization projects. Likewise, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Utah’s predominant religion, has donated permanent water shares to the lake and reduced water use.
Although a $200 million commitment is a historic acceleration of resources for the lake, independent economic analysis estimates a full lake rescue will cost between $2-5 billion over the next decade. Meeting this challenge will require fundamental shifts in water use by farmers, cities, and industry.
“This is a turning point in the race to save Great Salt Lake,” said Ben Abbott, a BYU ecologist and executive director of Grow the Flow, a nonprofit that works to restore Great Salt Lake. “This is the first time we are all on the same team. Now all we’ve got to do is pull off the world’s first saline lake rescue.”
GSL 2034 comes as the lake hovers near historic lows, threatening air quality, ecosystems, and billions of dollars in economic activity. Scientists have warned that without urgent action, the lake risks crossing irreversible thresholds—threatening the same kind of collapse that has devastated communities near drying saline lakes worldwide.
The announcement marks a turning point in Utah’s history. By pairing a concrete deadline with major resources, state leaders have sent a clear message: Utah is committed to save its saline lake—and determined to become the first community in the world to do so.
