- Utah’s new program pays farmers to temporarily stop irrigating some agricultural land.
- Full-season payments range from $370 to $492 per acre, depending on location.
- Individual farms and entire irrigation companies may qualify for the program.
- Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on November 30, 2026.
- State officials expect to award water leases by January 1, 2027.
Friday, October 9, 2026 –– Utah is offering farmers a new way to earn money from their water while helping restore the Great Salt Lake.
Under the state’s new Great Salt Lake Preservation Program
, eligible farmers can receive payments for temporarily leaving some of their agricultural land unirrigated. Instead of using the water on crops, participating farmers agree to let it flow toward the Great Salt Lake.
The program is voluntary, and farmers are compensated for each acre they agree not to irrigate during an approved period.
The Utah State Engineer then protects, or “dedicates,” the leased water as it moves downstream toward the lake.
The program, described on the state’s website in an October 6, 2026 update, is open to individual farming operations and irrigation companies that meet specific requirements.
How Much Can Farmers Earn?
Payments depend largely on where a farm is located within the Great Salt Lake Basin.
Generally, farms closer to the lake receive higher payments. The state also considers whether water flows can be measured and tracked as they move toward the lake.
For farmers who agree not to irrigate an eligible field for an entire growing season, the program offers three payment levels.
| Leasing zone | Full-season payment |
|---|---|
| Blue | $492 per acre |
| Green | $416 per acre |
| Red | $370 per acre |
The blue zone includes the Jordan River watershed, the lower Weber River watershed east of the Wasatch Mountains, and the Bear River watershed downstream of Cutler Dam.
The green zone includes the Logan River, Blacksmith Fork River, Little Bear River and Provo River watersheds.
The red zone covers the upper Weber River watershed, the Ogden River watershed and the Bear River watershed upstream of Cutler Dam.
For example, a farmer enrolling 100 eligible acres in the blue zone for a full season would receive $49,200. The same acreage in the green zone would earn $41,600, while the red zone would pay $37,000.
These amounts are based on the state’s published per-acre rates. Actual participation depends on whether the land and water qualify for the program.
Farmers Do Not Have to Give Up an Entire Season.
The program also offers shorter leasing periods.
Rather than leaving a field unirrigated throughout the growing season, farmers can choose a portion of the season when they will stop watering.
These arrangements are called split-season leases.
A split-season lease must last at least 28 days. During that period, the farmer agrees not to irrigate the enrolled acreage.
The state provides an online pricing calculator that allows farmers to compare different leasing periods and see how much they could receive per acre.
For full-season leases, there is another restriction.
A particular field can participate in a full-season water lease only twice during any rolling five-year period.
That means the program allows temporary changes in irrigation practices rather than requiring farmers to permanently stop using their land for agriculture.
Entire Irrigation Companies Can Participate.
The program is not limited to individual farms.
Irrigation and canal companies can also lease water by changing when they deliver irrigation water to their customers.
For example, a company could delay opening its headgate at the beginning of the irrigation season or shut down its system earlier than usual.
A headgate is a structure used to control the flow of water into an irrigation canal or delivery system.
Under a company-wide lease, payments are calculated according to the number of acres served by the company.
The payment also depends on when irrigation deliveries are suspended.
Companies receive higher payments when their systems remain shut down during more of the hotter, drier part of summer.
Before participating, an irrigation company must sign an Operational Agreement with the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner.
That agreement requires the company to submit a 10-year Dedicated Water Application to Utah’s Division of Water Rights.
The application allows some of the company’s water to be temporarily designated for delivery to the Great Salt Lake.
The program also offers enrollment bonuses to companies that sign Operational Agreements, even if they ultimately decide not to participate in a company-wide lease.
What About Farmers Who Own Irrigation Company Shares?
Farmers who receive water through shares in a mutual irrigation company may also qualify.
However, their irrigation company must first sign an Operational Agreement with the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner.
Individual farm leases must include at least five irrigable acres within one of the program’s three eligible leasing zones.
The program accepts applications only from farm operators.
An operator is the person, group or business responsible for managing the farming operation and making its daily decisions during the current year.
If the operator does not own the land, water rights or irrigation shares, the owner must sign a Landowner Acknowledgement Agreement before the application can be considered.
Farmers who hold their own water rights must also complete a preliminary consultation with the Utah Division of Water Rights.
Farmers who receive water through irrigation company shares do not need that consultation for an individual farm lease.
However, irrigation companies seeking an Operational Agreement or company-wide lease must complete the consultation.
Why Some Farms Cannot Participate.
Not every farm in the Great Salt Lake Basin qualifies for the program.
One important requirement is that the leased water must be capable of reaching the Great Salt Lake and being legally protected along the way.
In some areas, the state does not have enough water-flow measurements to track the water from the farm to the lake.
Other areas have more complicated water supplies.
Some agricultural water rights depend on Colorado River water. In other locations, water returning from agricultural use crosses state lines before eventually flowing back into Utah and toward the Great Salt Lake.
These circumstances can make it difficult to qualify water for the preservation program.
As a result, certain portions of the Great Salt Lake Basin are currently excluded.
The state says those areas may become eligible in the future.
Farmers can use the program’s leasing-zone map to determine whether their fields are within an eligible area and identify the payment rate available for their location.
Applications Close November 30.
Farmers and irrigation companies interested in participating have until 5 p.m. on Monday, November 30, 2026, to submit their applications.
The Great Salt Lake Preservation Board will review applications and award leases by January 1, 2027.
Farmers wishing to enroll multiple fields must submit a separate application for each field.
The state encourages applicants to complete the paperwork with assistance from program staff.
Two contacts are available to help applicants:
-
Micah Safsten: (801) 648-0305, msafsten@utah.gov.
-
Owen Ritzman: (801) 520-5307, critzman@utah.gov.
The program provides separate applications for individual farms and irrigation companies, along with a pricing-zone map and a calculator for shorter leasing periods.
A Voluntary Approach to Great Salt Lake Preservation.
The Great Salt Lake is an important part of Utah’s economy, natural history and ecosystem.
The new preservation program gives agricultural water users an opportunity to contribute water toward the lake’s recovery while receiving compensation for temporarily reducing irrigation.
For individual farmers, participation can involve a single field or a portion of the irrigation season. For irrigation companies, it can involve changes to the timing of water deliveries across an entire service area.
In either case, the water must qualify for protection as it travels toward the Great Salt Lake.
The first application period closes November 30, with lease awards expected by the beginning of 2027.
