Environmental advocacy groups suing the state of Utah over its failure to maintain minimum water levels in the Great Salt Lake claimed a partial victory Thursday when a state judge rejected motions to dismiss the case.
State Judge Laura Scott, who serves in the Third Judicial District Court, “denied in substantial part” motions to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the state Department of Natural Resources, Utah Division of Water Rights, and Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, along with intervenors in the case.
Plaintiffs, who are represented by Earthjustice, filed a lawsuit in 2023 arguing that the state had violated public trust doctrine when it failed to keep water levels in the lake at a minimum level of 4,198 feet above sea level to ensure a healthy ecosystem.
Utah officials sought to dismiss the case, however, asserting that state has “no legal obligation to protect and preserve” the lake.
