Repository logo
 

Water leases and limited irrigation: opportunities and challenges for Colorado's South Platte Basin

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorPritchett, James, author
dc.contributor.authorThorvaldson, Jennifer, author
dc.contributor.authorHansen, Neil, author
dc.contributor.authorJha, Ajay, author
dc.contributor.authorU.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, publisher
dc.date.accessioned2020-06-11T14:33:28Z
dc.date.available2020-06-11T14:33:28Z
dc.date.issued2008-05
dc.descriptionPresented at Urbanization of irrigated land and water transfers: a USCID water management conference on May 28-31, 2008 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
dc.description.abstractBurgeoning populations are increasing municipal water demand in the West, a phenomenon that is changing rural and urban economies. Agricultural water is a preferred source for meeting growing demands, but transfers often require formerly irrigated land to be fallowed, removing a key industry from rural regional economies. It is no surprise that large-scale transfers are greeted with highly-charged, emotionally contentious debates. One alternative to 'buy and dry' strategies is gaining interest. The alternative allows farmers to lease a portion of their water portfolio to cities. Leased water is generated as farmers fallow their land on a rotational basis or reduce the consumptive use of their cropping operations by limiting irrigation. Examples of limited irrigation strategies include timing irrigations during vegetative growth and adopting innovative crop rotations. Importantly, the limited irrigation cropland remains in production so that rural economies suffer reduced impacts vis a vis buy and dry activity. But will farmers adopt limited irrigation strategies if water lease markets materialize? The objectives of this research are to examine producers' potential for adoption of limited irrigations strategies and their perceptions of lease arrangements. Potential adoption is gauged from a producer survey of South Platte River Basin farmers in Colorado, a basin experiencing significant population growth in the midst of significant agriculture production. The results of this indicate that more than 60% of the respondents are willing to lease garnering between 50,000 and 60,000 acre feet of potential water supplies.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediumCD-ROMs
dc.format.mediumproceedings (reports)
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/208123
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartofAg Water Conservation Policy
dc.relation.ispartofUrbanization of irrigated land and water transfers, Scottsdale, Arizona, May 28-31, 2008
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.sourceContained in: Urbanization of irrigated land and water transfers, Scottsdale, Arizona, May 28-31, 2008, http://hdl.handle.net/10217/46620
dc.titleWater leases and limited irrigation: opportunities and challenges for Colorado's South Platte Basin
dc.title.alternativeUrbanization of irrigated land and water transfers
dc.typeText

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
105_2008-USCID-Phoenix_Pritchett.pdf
Size:
164.28 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

Ag Water Conservation Policy