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<br />2.6 Factors Contributjnl! to Water Sales <br /> <br />The gradual movement of water from ruraVagricultural areas to urban/municipal and industrial areas <br />results from several general factors, most of which are not unique to southeastern Colorado. <br /> <br />1. Water is a property right and is severable from the land. <br /> <br />2. Farming is always hard work, fraught with high risk of financial failure or small <br />return on investment. <br /> <br />3. Farming income is sometimes less than the return on investment of water sale <br /> <br />proceeds. <br /> <br />4. Agricultural incomes are not growing, especially among family farmers. (Keene- <br />Osborn 1992) <br /> <br />5. Some farmers are failing and need or want to sell. <br /> <br />6. Agricultural capital availability is limited. <br /> <br />7. Urban populations are growing while rural, agricultural communities are not growing <br />or are declining in population. <br /> <br />8. Municipal and industrial users wish to obtain firm water supplies for drought years. <br /> <br />9. Farming accounts for most of the water consumption in the state, but accounts for <br />only a part of the population, political base and economy of the whole state. <br /> <br />10. <br /> <br />There are insufficient young farmers interested in taking over farms; and, the major <br />capital investment required disqualifies many potential entrants. <br /> <br />11. <br /> <br />Rural communities and farmers may be ambivalent or undecided on the position to <br />take on a possible water transfer. This may be a result of a desire to retain the <br />option for sale of their water as security for the future. <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />12. If a transfer occurs, farmers may not want to be "left behind", fearing greater <br />operating problems, higher expenses, and the loss of neighbors and traditional <br />community lifestyle. <br /> <br />13. There are accepted legal processes for the transfer of water and resolution of at least <br />some of the issues arising from a proposed transfer. <br /> <br />14. Cost of protecting water rights and protesting water transfers is relatively high for <br />rural communities and farmers. <br /> <br />2-14 <br />