The Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL) serves as Utah’s statewide center for water and environmental research. Established through state legislative action, the UWRL was designed to support Utah’s unique water needs and continues to provide trusted science, practical solutions, and advanced training for the next generation of water leaders. Through long-standing collaboration with the Utah Legislature and State agencies, the UWRL plays an important role in helping the state respond to challenges such as drought, flooding, water quality problems, limited water availability and sustainability, hydraulic infrastructure modernization and improvement, and other resource planning needs. Our work directly informs state and local policy, offering decision-makers reliable data and cutting-edge research to guide effective water management.
The UWRL works closely with a wide range of state agencies to turn research into practical solutions for Utah communities. Through collaborations with organizations such as the Utah Division of Water Resources, Division of Water Rights, Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands, Division of Water Quality, Division of Air Quality, state municipalities, and other state and local stakeholders, the lab provides technical expertise, modeling tools, monitoring systems, field data, and chemical analyses that help shape effective water and environmental policy and management strategies. By combining legislative support with competitive federal and private funding, the UWRL is able to expand the reach and impact of its work to develop solutions that address Utah’s most pressing water issues and directly support the agencies responsible for stewarding the state’s water and environmental resources.
The following summaries highlight a few examples:
Functional Flows Framework
The Functional Flows Framework project is helping Utah leaders better understand how much water Utah’s rivers, wetlands, and Great Salt Lake need to stay healthy. Scientists are studying when and how water should move through these systems to support fish, birds, and clean water. The project will create a tool that can help managers and decision-makers find the right balance between water for people and water for nature.
Great Salt Lake Basin Gap Analysis
The Measurement Infrastructure Gap Analysis project is studying how water is measured across Utah’s Great Salt Lake Basin and identifying where important tools are missing. Researchers are working with more than 160 water users and agencies to map existing gauges and highlight places where new or upgraded devices are needed. This effort helps guide smart investments so that communities, water managers, and lawmakers have reliable data to manage water, balance different uses, and protect the Great Salt Lake’s health.
Great Salt Lake Strike Team
The Great Salt Lake Strike Team brings together experts from Utah State University, the University of Utah, and several state agencies to help Utah respond to the problems caused by low water levels in Great Salt Lake. The team gathers and analyzes data about lake elevation, water flow, salinity, human water use, and environmental health to understand what’s happening now and what might happen in the future. It studies the impacts of different policy options—such as conserving water, managing agriculture and industrial use and improving monitoring—and lays out the costs, benefits, and trade-offs of each.
Utah Impact Projects
Our Utah Impact Projects showcase UWRL research and initiatives that improve water management, support communities, and protect natural resources across the state. Learn how we are helping Utah leaders make informed decisions for a sustainable future.