Suchergebnisse

Abstract
Obtaining water for environmental purposes, such as habitat restoration or water quality improvements, has become an important objective in many parts of the world. Such water acquisitions are likely to become more challenging as regional water demand and supply patterns are altered by climate change. In regions where water supplies are already fully claimed, voluntary negotiated transactions have become a key means to obtain water for the environment. The cost of acquiring water in such transactions is hypothesized to vary with regional weather and climate conditions due to both the actual effects of temperature and precipitation on water supply and demand and the perceptions water users may hold about these effects.
This article develops econometric models to examine the effect of temperature and precipitation on water lease prices in four U.S. states located in the desert southwest. Water leases for environmental and nonenvironmental purposes are contrasted to understand the differing nature of these lease markets and the role of weather and climate variables. The authors' analysis finds that temperature, precipitation, regional income, and population changes are variables that have differing effects in the two lease markets. Overall, analysis of over 20 yr of data shows the need to consider climate and weather factors given the growing importance of water leases as a tool to secure water for the environment.

Water management challenges in an arid region: key policy issues / Katharine L. Jacobs and Bonnie G. Colby -- Shaped by water: an Arizona historical perspective / Jack L. August, Jr., and Grady Gammage, Jr. -- Balancing competing interests: Institutional context: the history of state and federal water laws / Michael J. Pearce -- The water supply of Arizona: the geographic distribution of availability and patterns of use / Mark T. Anderson, Donald R. Pool, and Stanley A. Leake -- Drought, climate variability, and implications for water supply and management / Gregg Garfin, Michael A. Crimmins, and Katharine L. Jacobs -- Water transactions: enhancing supply reliability during drought / Bonnie G. Colby, Dana R. Smith, and Katherine Pittenger -- Sustaining people, habitats, and ecosystems: the challenge of integrating water policy and the environment / Patrick J. Graham -- The disconnect between water law and hydrology / Robert Glennon -- Protecting the supply: Arizona's water quality challenges / Karen L. Smith and Charles G. Graf -- Implications of federal farm policy and state regulation on agricultural water use / George B. Frisvold, Paul N. Wilson, and Robert Needham -- Urban growth and water supply / James M. Holway -- Water supply and management in rural Arizona / Katharine L. Jacobs and Linda S. Stitzer -- Arizona's recharge and recovery programs / Sharon B. Megdal -- Tribal water claims and settlements within regional water management / Dana R. Smith and Bonnie G. Colby -- Lessons for semiarid regions facing growth and competition for water / Bonnie G. Colby, Katharine L. Jacobs, and Dana R. Smith.

All drought operations and planning in the West rely heavily on water information and forecasts provided by federal agencies. The federal government should preserve and enhance existing hydrologic and meteorologic data networks hit by budget cuts and modernize the technology used for forecasting. This may require rebalancing budget allocations for research, observation, and forecasting. This report begins with a spotlight on the current western drought followed by a road map of the various federal roles that touch on western water management and indentifies a series of modest, pragmatic federal actions that can help western states prepare for droughts and better manage emergencies when they occur.