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<br />,,0 0 0 9 8 0 <br /> <br />. The West has urbanized, resulting in the conversion of agricultural lands to other <br /> <br />~es; <br /> <br />. The growth in demand for municipal and industrial purposes places pressure on <br /> <br /> <br />agriculture which uses about 80 percent of the developed water in .the West; and <br /> <br /> <br />. Growing concern for water quality raises issues about agricultural practices that <br /> <br /> <br />produce pollution, <br /> <br />The focus in the following discussion is on four major issues facing irrigation districts <br /> <br /> <br />today: (1) reallocation; (2) conservation; (3) water quality; and (4) governance, These issues <br /> <br /> <br />are Dot meant to be exhaustive or independent. And while the issues are centered on tbe <br /> <br /> <br />problems facing these organizations, the workshop participants as a wbole and individually were <br /> <br /> <br />thinking and talking about botb short, or interim, and long term solutions to the problems <br /> <br /> <br />discussed, The Ford Foundation expressed interest in providing support for acti\~ties tbat might <br /> <br /> <br />be identified by the group to address problems facing irrigation districts today, <br /> <br />A theme that ran through all discussions was the idea of voluntary versus involuntary <br /> <br /> <br />solutions, Should we provide the . power and incentive to irrigation districts to adapt and <br /> <br /> <br />change, or should change be mandated through regulation, legislation or court decision, This <br /> <br /> <br />dichotomy cuts across all issues and is addressed in more detail in Part Five: Action Items, <br /> <br />Despite what, at times, may be phrased as a unified perspective, there was no single <br /> <br /> <br />group viewpoint or consensus on most issues discussed. Additionally, there were diverse views <br /> <br /> <br />on what thelOlutions should be. Most participants agreed that at least some transfers were <br /> <br /> <br />necessary to meet changing ~ter demands. However, some pan:icipants questioned whether <br /> <br />2 <br />