Constraints to Water Transfers in Unadjudicated Basins:The Middle Rio Grande as a Case Study

Document Type

Article

Department or Administrative Unit

Geography

Publication Date

4-13-2010

Abstract

Water reallocations are contentious under the best of circumstances. When a basin lacks a comprehensive adjudication of water rights, the levels of legal and economic complexity and controversy intensify. This paper evaluates the Middle Rio Grande, a region of New Mexico that would seem an ideal location for water markets as the need to reallocate water between existing uses is high. Due to the lack of an adjudication, and other complicating factors such as the Endangered Species Act, proposed transfers require a complex evaluation system created by the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer. Even with this evaluation system in place, many questions linger about the validity of transfers and their larger impacts.

Comments

This article was originally published in Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.

Due to copyright restrictions, this article is not available for free download from ScholarWorks @ CWU.

Journal

Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education

Rights

© 2010 UCOWR

Language

English

Spatial Coverage (for ex: Ellensburg, WA)

Rio Grande, NM

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