Utah revises water rules to encourage conservation amid rising drought concerns

Utah's revised water laws aim to reward farmers for conserving water, countering the long-standing "use it or lose it" rule that incentivizes water use over preservation.

Nina Elkadi reports for Civil Eats.

In short:

• Utah has introduced policies allowing farmers to conserve water without risking the forfeiture of their water rights, a break from the traditional "use it or lose it" approach.
• The state’s Agricultural Water Optimization Program supports farmers with grants to implement water-saving techniques like drip irrigation and GPS monitoring.
• These policies come as the Great Salt Lake faces severe water depletion, with Utah hoping to prevent further environmental and economic harm.

Key quote:

"In most other places, you’re penalized because you ‘use it or lose it.’ We flip that completely on its head through some of the statutes and laws that we’ve adopted."

— Joel Ferry, head of Utah's Department of Natural Resources

Why this matters:

As climate change intensifies droughts in the western U.S., traditional water rights policies discourage conservation. Utah's approach may serve as a model for other arid states seeking to protect both agriculture and natural ecosystems without exhausting critical water resources.