NorthPlatteBasinWaterSupplyandNeedsReport

• Basin Roundtable: North Platte
• Title: Water Supply & Needs Report for the North Platte Basin
• Date: 6/1/2006
• Author: CDM
• Basin Roundtables - Doc Type: Needs Assessment Documents

Section 9
Options for Meeting Future Water Needs
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number of agricultural users in the program making the
flows available to M&I users. For example, if 10
agricultural users joined the arrangement, each would
take their turn not irrigating in 1 year out of 10. The M&I
user would obtain a constant annual yield, with this yield
coming from a different agricultural user each year. An
additional element would be to set aside of a portion of
the water from the agricultural lands not irrigated in each
year to be placed into storage to firm the yield to the
agricultural users that are part of the agreement This
agricultural firming pool would be used in below average
years to increase the yield for those agricultural users
that are irrigating that year.

The benefits of this rotating agricultural transfer approach
include:

. M&I reliability is improved since there is a guaranteed
additional supplemental supply of water each year.

. A better or more stable income can be provided to
agricultural users, since an income would be
guaranteed during the fallowing year and the firming
of agricultural yield will result in a more predictable
farm yield during a drought

. A permanent transfer of agricultural water rights may
not be needed, avoiding some of the negative impacts
of a permanent agricultural transfer.

. Maximizes the benefits of a non-tributary groundwater
conjunctive use program. Non-tributary, non-
renewable groundwater has a firm annual yield that
does not vary from wet to dry years as long as the
resource is not significantly depleted. The life of this
groundwater resource could be extended by relying
on a rotating agricultural fallowing program in average
to above average years and pumping groundwater
only during below average years. In these below
average years, the yield from the rotating fallowing
can be used to firm the yield of the agricultural users
that are irrigating during those years.

Potential issues and conflicts with rotating agricultural
transfers include:

. As for other interruptible supply arrangements, the
lands involved remain in irrigation in perpetuity. The
agricultural users would need to bind themselves to
continue agricultural irrigation use and to fallow the
land for a year as required.

. This may be more expensive approach than a
permanent agricultural transfer. Incentives would

CONI

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need to be significant to induce an agricultural user to
forego the right to sell the water in the future. Annual
payments would be required for the agricultural users
that are fallowing each year. In addition, the
transaction costs to assemble a suitable program
could be significant

. Some agricultural crops, such as orchards, vineyards,
and some hay crops are difficult to fallow and may not
be appropriate for a rotating fallowing program.

. Agricultural supplies under a rotating program may
not be in the needed location or of sufficient quantity.
The water from the fallowed lands must be
transferred to the M&I water supply intakes if the yield
is to be used for this purpose rather than instream
needs.

. A change of use from agricultural to M&I or other
uses would likely be required. Determination of the
transferable amount can be complicated and other
water users must be protected. Legal and engineering
costs will be incurred.

. Soil, weed, labor, and equipment management issues
must be considered for the fallowed lands. A farm
operation involves not only the planting, irrigating, and
harvesting of crops, but the hiring of labor and
maintenance of equipment In addition, the
management of soil erosion and weed growth will be
issues on irrigated fields that are temporarily dried up.

. Storage would be required to firm the yield for all
parties. M&I users would need storage to carry
irrigation season water over to the non-irrigation
months and storage will be needed to firm the
agricultural supplies and provide for the replacement
of delayed return flows from the fallowed lands.

9.2.2.4 Water Bank

In addition to permanent agricultural transfers, water
banks have been authorized by the Colorado legislature.
A pilot program was established in the Colorado Basin.
The water bank provides a mechanism for leasing water
on a short-term basis without permanently transferring a
water right to another user. Entities with stored water
rights have the options to lease their water during times
of drought or when it will not be put to beneficial use.

The benefits of water banks include:

. Water supplies are improved for users acquiring
water from the water bank.

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