Laserfiche WebLink
<br />DRAFT <br /> <br />these benefits.94 <br /> <br />All alternative seurces ef water sheuld be <br />evaluated and cempared. Cests ef feregene. <br />future uses in the area ef er ig in and the <br />envirenmental cests sheuld be included in the <br />evaluatien. Two. basic peints ef the "least- <br />cest al ternati ve" cr iter ien are that (l) the <br />calculatien ef cests ef alternatives sheuld <br />be made en ene, uniferm, censistent basis and <br />(2) all secial cests sheuld be included in <br />the evaluatien.95 <br /> <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />Accerding to. the Natienal Water Cemmissien, <br /> <br />It may be argued that such an evaluatien is unnecessary <br /> <br />since, presumably, the transferring entity is ecenemically <br /> <br />ratienal and will therefere seek the lewest cest alternative. In <br /> <br />the past, the massive subsidies available in the federal reclama- <br /> <br />tien pregram made large-scale transbasin diversion prejects <br /> <br />artificially attractive. <br /> <br />Such subsidies will be far less <br /> <br />available in the future, theugh many states are leeking fer ways <br />I <br /> <br />to. develep ether seurces ef lew cest financial suppert fer such <br /> <br />prejects. <br /> <br />In additien to. artificial financial incentives, water- <br /> <br />seeking entities are likely to. be influenced by ether facters. <br /> <br />For example, there may be institutienal and pelitical preblems <br /> <br />asseciated with transferring water frem existing uses within its <br /> <br />ewn watershed er basin. <br /> <br />Thus, even if there is water available <br /> <br />fer transfer frem agricultural uses to., say, urban uses, signifi- <br /> <br />cant pelitical ebstacles may exist. <br /> <br />Alternatively, greundwater <br /> <br />94Natienal Water Cemmissien Study, supra nete 1 at 320. <br /> <br />95Id. <br /> <br />43 <br />