Utah Water Stories

A group of news, education and media organizations working to better inform and engage the public about the crisis facing Great Salt Lake.

Listen to History of Water in Utah: "The Most Complicated Plumbing System..." with Greg Smoak, Megan van Frank, and Brad Westwood on Utah's Speak Your Piece podcast.

Dip your toes into the history of water by exploring maps, oral histories, photos, and more. Archival records can provide a unique glimpse into the history of our relationship with water over time, from local government irrigation projects to water rights litigation, the diaries of famous river runners and western explorers to your grandmother’s account of a historic flood. This is your history, dive in!

American West Center, University of Utah

Curated by poet and writer Nan Seymour

An essay about Great Salt Lake and our world in drought. 

A project of Utah State University Extension Services.

A collaboration between KUED and KUER (PBS Utah).

Showcases resources and research tips related to the documentation of Water Resources in Utah and the Intermountain West.

A collection which marks the 100th anniversary of signing the compact. Or dive straight into the collection here. 

Free public access to a wide range of significant resources on water in the West.

A short film about A.K. Reynolds cataract boats, river history, and the role of public history collections in Utah (Rig to Flip production)

Utah's official public history journal, has all back issues available online, including issues dedicated to the Great Salt Lake from 2019 and 1988. Read articles from Utah scholars about John Wesley Powell, the Strawberry Valley Project, or simply browse the issues to discover a piece of Utah’s water history.

Listen to the three-part series called "Is the Water Wet? Lake Powell Pipeline" from Zion Canyon Mesa (part 1, part 2, and part 3).