DWQ-2025-004998

Lonnie Shull
Utah Division of Water Quality
[e-mail]

June 9, 2025

R317-17 Discharge Allowance Request for Permit UT0000523 (Morton Salt)

Mr. Shull,

Under the provisions of the new discharge salinity rule outlined in R317-17, Morton Salt
would like to formally request that our pending permit update include an allowance to
continue discharging to Gilbert Bay when salinity exceeds 150 g/L per subsection R317-
17.3(5)b as our extraction process represents a net decrease of salt load to Gilbert Bay.

Permit number UT0000523 allows discharges to Gilbert Bay of Great Salt Lake (GSL) at a
latitude of 40°45'7" N and a longitude of 112°30'0" W. Prior 5-year average annual
diversions from GSL are 11,669 acre-ft and average annual returns to GSL are 5,870 acre-ft.
Average annual salt harvested and sold in that same period is 501,837 tons. Given the
diversion point, at a latitude of 40°47'44.7" N and a longitude of 112°28'6.6" W, and the
return point are both in Gilbert Bay, our extraction operation represents a net decrease of
salt load to Gilbert Bay.

Kind Regards,