Agricultural Water Transfers in the Western United States

agricultural water transfers in the western united states 2 Background: Water Scarcity in the American West There is not sufficient water to irrigate all From the arid deserts of the Southwest to the rainforests of the Pacific the lands which could be irrigated. [...] that are marketed as comprehensive databases of water transactions, such as The total volume and value of agricultural water transfers are thus Water Strategist and the WestWater unknown and likely grossly underestimated in the United States. [...] agricultural water transfers in the western united states 11 Private Water Rights Transfers In the United States, water rights are subject to a number of terms and conditions. [...] Considerations for Transfer Programs The interviews highlighted several key issues for transfer programs: • The challenges of quantifying and regulating water use • The variety of standards for recording and reporting transfer data • The potential involvement of third-parties in transactions • The variety of transfer instruments and their associated transac- tions costs • The importance of strong. [...] Transfer Instruments and Transactions Costs Depending on the nature of the water right, the mechanism for iden- tifying interested parties with which to transfer, and the formality of the process, transferring water can be relatively simple and inex- pensive or highly complicated and expensive.