SALT LAKE CITY — The state of Utah appears to be close to settling a long-running legal dispute over control of land within the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

In a court document obtained by FOX 13 News, lawyers for the Utah Attorney General's Office and the U.S. Department of Justice asked for more time to evaluate the property.

“The proposed settlement provides for the acquisition by the United States of certain lands and interests within the refuge in exchange for a payment to the state,” the lawyers wrote to U.S. Judge Daphne Oberg.

Utah sued the federal government in 2012, claiming land within the refuge that lies below the Great Salt Lake's normal high-water mark, which dates back to the state's founding. The lawsuit says the two sides have agreed on the location of that boundary and began settlement talks in 2020.

Although progress has been made, there is still much to be done, the lawyers explained to the judge.

“Any final settlement of the claims in this case will require the approval of the parties' key decision makers, which for plaintiff include the Utah State Legislature or Legislative Administration Committee, respectively, and for defendants, appropriate senior officials of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice,” the filing states.

This article was published by the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions-oriented journalism initiative that brings together news, education and media organizations to inform people about the Great Salt Lake's plight – and what can be done to make a change before it's too late. Read all of our stories at www.greatsaltlakenews.org.