Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints part of water release to the Great Salt Lake

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is part of a new water release to the Great Salt Lake. 

Christopher Moore, media manager for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said that the over 3 billion gallons of water will come from the Jordan River and Utah Lake. The water will go through the Jordan River to the GSL’s Farmington and Gilbert bays.

Moore said that each year, the Church will provide a long-term lease of between 4,000 and 7,433 acre-feet of water.

The water, Moore said, comes from leases by the Church and the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District through a partnership with the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognizes we all have a role to play in caring for our natural environment here in Utah, including the Great Salt Lake,” said Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric. “This water lease is one of several projects underway that we hope reflects our commitment to wise stewardship.”

This is not the Church’s first donation to the lake. Moore says the Church made a donation of more than 20,000 acre-feet of water in 2023. The contribution was the largest single water donation in the history of Utah.

More information can be found on the Church’s website.