<br />Administrative, Institutional, and Structural Characteri~tics of an Active Water Market
<br />
<br />,
<br />
<br />Michelsen, 1994), The long-run yield of C-BT units
<br />has averaged 0.73 acre-foot per unit. Annual deliver.
<br />ies have averaged 65 peT cent of the 310,000 maxi-
<br />mum acre-feet over the same period, Yield
<br />corTesponds to the quota, or the annual quantity of
<br />water declaTed available for use, whereas deliveries
<br />represent the quantity of water actually used, It is
<br />interesting to note that water users take relatively
<br />less of their allotment during low-quota years than
<br />they do during high-quota years. Annual deliveries
<br />average 81 percent of the quota when the latter is less
<br />than 75 percent (typically wet years), and 90 percent
<br />when the quota is 75 percent or above (dry years),
<br />(Water Strategist, 1990), That is, more imported CB.T
<br />water is demanded when native or base supplies are
<br />low in the Sooth Platte river basin,
<br />
<br />S
<br />'Y
<br />'.y
<br />,t
<br />,0
<br />e
<br />
<br />Quota (%)
<br />120 J
<br />j
<br />100 -i-
<br />1
<br />80 l
<br />sol
<br />
<br />Deliveries (kAF)
<br />! 350
<br />, 300
<br />'250
<br />
<br />200
<br />150
<br />100
<br />50
<br />
<br />y
<br />p
<br />,d
<br />
<br />;.
<br />
<br />40
<br />
<br />20
<br />
<br />in
<br />th
<br />11e
<br />of
<br />he
<br />
<br />o
<br />1957 1962 1967 1972 1977 1982 1987 1992
<br />
<br />DApril Quota (%) DAdditionaJ Quota (%) - Deliveries (AF)
<br />
<br />o
<br />
<br />Figure 1. CBT Quota and Annual Deliveries.
<br />
<br />ITO.
<br />ler-
<br />be
<br />ich
<br />" of
<br />1.60
<br />set
<br />nofT
<br />tici.
<br />nay
<br />ired
<br />:ven
<br />,0 to
<br />the
<br />os to
<br />lope
<br />nOTe
<br />,lope
<br />
<br />The water supply available from the C-BT project
<br />can be expected to be reliable. An allotment quota of
<br />70 percent or greater was declared in 22 out of 37
<br />years of operation (60 percent of the time), In only two
<br />years was a quota of less than 60 percent declared
<br />(five percent of the time); and a quota of90 percent or
<br />greater has been declared in 9 years, about 25 percent
<br />of the time,
<br />Water deliveries also consist of two other types of
<br />project water, carry.over water and non-charge water,
<br />A carry-over policy was introduced in 1986, Prior to
<br />this time, an allottee's unused water would be stored
<br />to increase the project water available in subsequent
<br />years for all contract allottees, With the carry.over
<br />policy, water unused by an allottee in a particular
<br />water year can be carried over for use from April 1 to
<br />,July 15 of the following year, increasing flexibility in
<br />the way project water can be used,
<br />During high runoff years, when C.BT storage is
<br />fully utilized, non-charge (unappropriated surplus)
<br />
<br />otas
<br />and
<br />
<br />water may be released into the district's service area.
<br />Allocation of non-charge water is managed by river
<br />commissioneTs, and does not necessarily correspond
<br />to the contract allotments, Non.charge plus carry-over
<br />water deliveries are significant and, although only
<br />provided in twelve years, they have averaged 27,499
<br />acre-feet per year or 12,2 percent of annual project
<br />deliveries for the period from 1962 through 1993,
<br />
<br />C-BT WATER OWNERSHIP AND USE
<br />
<br />The majority of C-BT units have traditionally been
<br />owned by the agricultural sector, However, C-BT unit
<br />ownership patterns have changed significantly during
<br />the past three decades (Figure 2). In 1962, agriculture
<br />held 82 percent of the total number of C.BT units,
<br />Since then, municipalities and industries have been
<br />bidding water away from use in irrigation to cover
<br />their immediate and future demands, In thirty years,
<br />municipal holdings more than doubled, from 18 per-
<br />cent of the total to over 40 percent. It should be noted
<br />that industrial holdings were originally combined
<br />with the municipal holdings, which explains the
<br />apparent absence of C-BT ownership in the industrial
<br />sector in 1962 (most of the industrial acquisition has
<br />occurred since 1962), During the same time, the rela-
<br />tive quantity of C-BT units owned by the agricultural
<br />sector shrank from more than 80 percent to about 55
<br />percent,
<br />
<br />1962 and 1992
<br />
<br />Agriculture
<br />82%
<br />
<br />Agriculture
<br />55%
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Industry
<br />4%
<br />
<br />M :, I Industry
<br />unlclpa OO/C
<br />16% 0
<br />
<br />Municipal
<br />41%
<br />
<br />1962
<br />
<br />1992
<br />
<br />Figure 2. Ownership Evolution or CBT Shares.
<br />
<br />Reflecting of the shift in ownership, irrigated
<br />acreage within the NCWCD has been shrinking over
<br />the past 30 years. From 720,000 iTrigated acres in
<br />1960, the total had fallen to 622,272 acres in 1993
<br />(NCWCD), The main crops produced are com (grain
<br />
<br />975
<br />
<br />WATER RESOURCES BULLETIN
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