(Salt Lake City, UT) — Utah is joining a six-state proposal to dramatically reduce water use in the Colorado River Basin. On Monday, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming sent a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation proposing deeper water cuts and new rules to consider water lost through evaporation and transportation. Also on Monday, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams announced a bill to collaborate with Western states on water development and House Speaker Brad Wilson announced legislation to create a unified authority to oversee management of the Great Salt Lake. The lawmakers said the Legislation will also invest more money in existing water conservation initiatives such as turf buyback programs and making better use of agricultural water.