Savior of rural landscapes or Solomon’s choice? Colorado’s experiment with alternative transfer methods for water (ATMs)

Dilling, Lisa; Berggren, John; Henderson, Jennifer; Kenney, Douglas

doi:10.1016/j.wasec.2019.100027

i

Savior of rural landscapes or Solomon’s choice? Colorado’s experiment with alternative transfer methods for water (ATMs)

2019
By Dilling, Lisa ; Berggren, John ; Henderson, Jennifer ; ...

Details

Journal Title:

Water Security
Personal Author:

Dilling, Lisa ; Berggren, John ; Henderson, Jennifer ; Kenney, Douglas
NOAA Program & Office:

OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research)
Description:

This article focuses on the emerging landscape for Alternative Transfer Methods (ATMs) in Colorado, USA. ATMs are developing within a legal landscape of water rights governed by prior appropriation law, growing demand for water in urban centers driven by population growth, and an aging rural farm population whose most valuable asset may include senior water rights. Rural-urban water transfers in the past have been linked to the collapse of rural economies if pursued to the extreme extent of “buy-and-dry,” where water rights were purchased outright and permanently removed from agricultural land (e.g. Crowley County). This article focuses on the emerging innovations of ATMs, which seek to accomplish the same purpose of providing additional water to growing cities but through more flexible mechanisms, such as rotational fallowing, interruptible supplies, and water banks, that aim to preserve rural economies as well. We review the history and context for water allocation in Colorado, the history of rural-urban transfers, and focus on ATMs and their pros and cons. We conclude with implications of ATMs for water governance and providing flexibility and sustainability in a changing climate.
Keywords:

Management, Monitoring, Policy And Law Oceanography Waste Management And Disposal Water Science And Technology Management, Monitoring, Policy And Law Waste Management And Disposal Water Science And Technology Management, Monitoring, Policy And Law Waste Management And Disposal Water Science And Technology
Source:

Water Security, 6, 100027
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasec.2019.100027
ISSN:

2468-3124
Format:

PDF
Publisher:

Elsevier BV
Document Type:

Journal Article
Funding:

Grant no. NA10OAR4310214
Rights Information:

Accepted Manuscript
Compliance:

Library
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha256:6585e357ef5cacbdd7a96520991b23d63ba0d2dab8654ff26f4931d35caf6635
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/57877/noaa_57877_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 191.48 KB ]

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