Markets for Federal Water

by Wahl, Richard W.

• ISBN13: 9780915707485
• ISBN10: 0915707489
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1989-11-01
• Publisher: Resources for the Future

Summary

This book clearly and authoritatively addresses significant issues of water policy in the western United States at a time when the growing scarcity of western water and the role of the Bureau of Reclamation in the allocation of that resource are becoming increasingly urgent issues.In this scholarly study, Wahl combines his insider's knowledge of the Interior Department's dam-building, regulatory, and water-pricing decisions with an objective analysis of the efficiency dilemma. The study begins by tracing the origins of the reclamation idea and the expansion of subsidies in the program since 1902. The author then recommends major changes in reclamation law and in the Bureau of Reclamation's policies for administering its water supply contracts. He uses four case studies to illustrate the application and potential benefits of his proposals.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Introduction	p. 3
References	p. 8
History and Evolution of Subsidies	p. 9
History of Federal Involvement in the Reclamation Movement	p. 11
History of Federal Involvement in the Reclamation Movement	p. 23
Irrigation Subsidies in the Reclamation Program	p. 27
Irrigation Subsidies in the Reclamation Program	p. 44
Administrative Extension of Subsidies: The Central Valley Project	p. 47
Administrative Extension of Subsidies: The Central Valley Project	p. 64
Attempts to Limit the Reclamation Subsidy: The Reclamation Reform Act of 1982	p. 69
Dispute with Westlands Water District	p. 107
References	p. 123
Policy Recommendations to Facilitate Water Marketing	p. 126
Policy Recommendations to Facilitate Water Marketing	p. 127
Federal Policy Changes to Facilitate Voluntary Water Transfers	p. 147
References	p. 191
Case Studies of Potential Water Transfers	p. 195
Water Contamination Problems at Kesterson Reservoir	p. 197
Water Transfer Possibilities Involving the Central Arizona Project	p. 221
Conclusions and Recommendations	p. 250
Quality of Water in the Colorado River and the Yuma Desalting Plant	p. 253
The Prospects for Leasing Compact Rights on the Colorado River	p. 271
Concluding Reflections	p. 291
Concluding Reflections	p. 293
Appendix U.S. Department of the Interior's "Principles Governing Voluntary Water Transactions"	p. 297
Index	p. 301
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