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14. Cost of protecting water rights and protesting water transfers is relatively high for rural communities and farmers. I I I I I I I I I 'I I I I I ...,-Q 2~,)'-' 11. Rural cpmmunities and farmers may be ambivalent or undecided on the position to take on a possible water transfer. This may be a result of a desire to retain the option for sale of their water as security for the future, 12. If a transfer occurs, farmers may not want to be "left behind", fearing greater operating problems, higher expenses, and the loss of neighbors and traditional community lifestyle, 13, There are accepted legal processes for the transfer of water and resolution of at least some of the issues arising from a' proposed transfer. Summarv The foregoing information must be summarized to present a coherent understanding of the study scope and the essential issues to be addressed. The resulting understanding will determine the emphasis of the study activities and shape the content of succeeding chapters of this report. There are two purposes to the study, The first is to understand and characterize the Ft, Lyon Canal Company system, together with such surrounding area as may be affected by transfer of water out of the system. This is accomplished by an identification of issues, description and analysis of historical water transfers in the region, and developing knowledge of the forces underlying the motivation to buy and sell water, The physical and ,social systems are described in detail. The second purpose, following from the first, is to identify and analyze alternatives to a large-scale transfer, This is accomplished by seeking strategies, management tools and applications of resources which provide overall net benefit to the Ft, Lyon system and the region, Alternatives which present the possibility of hydrologic, economic, legal, social, and environmental feasibility, as compared to a large-scale out of basin transfer, should receive further attention, Those that do not should be set aside, Basin characteristics suggest that water availability is quite variable, distribution is highly developed and that water supply systems are complex and interclependent, Water quality is marginal, mainly due to naturally occurring high salinity, and is aggravated by intense use and reuse, Water transfers in Colorado are allowed, subject to the "no injury" rule, but can be controversial and expensive, The effects of a water transfer on' third parties and the environment are not consistently addressed by Colorado law at present, Thirteen historical water transfers in the lower Arkansas Valley are identified and assessed. They have resulted in a net loss of 18 percent of irrigated land and associated production, Net impacts on the valley from these transfers are difficult to identify because most of the water has be~n used within the basin and imports of water by transmountain projects have increased over time. 2.14 I I I I I From the discussion of issues identified, the following are major issues to serve as focal points for the Ft, Lyon study: .