Using other alternatives to control flooding in Bear Lake could allow Utah and Idaho to store this other water, which could raise the level of Bear Lake by a foot, therefore facilitating recreational uses. When drought comes, Utah and Idaho could then use the stored water “to boost municipal water supplies, to guarantee farmers have enough water to grow crops or to stabilize water levels on the Great Salt Lake downstream,” Penrod reported.
Even putting aside the controversial Bear River Development Project, for Utah, anything that diverts water from Great Salt Lake tributaries is problematic. And while officials argue that the applied-for water could actually be used to increase levels of the Great Salt Lake, it seems that such promises are as illusory as they are unlikely.