WestWater Research and American Water Intelligence  have created three Water Rights & Trading Summits to be held in 2012.  These Summits will highlight business and investment opportunities being created by the water crisis in the western United States.  Industry leaders in water development and investments will focus on finding creative solutions to current and future water resource issues.  The 2012 series will start in Arizona (February 2-3, 2012, Scottsdale), continue in California (April 12-13, Santa Barbara) and finish in Texas (October 4-5, Houston). 

More information can be found on the website:  www.waterrightstrading.us.

October 14th, 2011 Posted by  Hardy

Water markets arise in various forms throughout the world. Formal markets that allow water to be transferred freely between willing buyers and sellers are thriving in certain places, notably Australia and select locations in North and South America. Informal water trading has occurred for centuries and continues today in the Middle East and North Africa. An efficient and equitable water market requires – at a minimum – some level of water scarcity, well-defined property rights, and a regulatory or legal framework to facilitate water management. Refer to AWRA IMPACT September issue, edited by WestWater’s Skye Root and with an article by WestWater’s Matt Payne, for highlights of specific water markets across the globe and illustrations of trading mechanisms and barriers.

September 14th, 2011 Posted by  Hardy

California can serve as a useful crystal ball for water issues in other states.  A NY Times article describes a lawsuit filed against the Kern County Water Agency over declining local groundwater levels.  The lawsuit is filed by neighbors who are blaming the practice of Water Banking in their area for causing water supply service disruptions and other related problems. WestWater Research is referenced in the article.  See the full article from 26 July 2011 here.

July 29th, 2011 Posted by  Hardy

Alberta’s waters are poised for political battle as an expanding oilsands industry and booming ag sector place further demands and dollars on the already scarce resource.  A major report by a government-appointed economic panel entitled “Shaping Alberta’s Future” recently recommended the province adopt a market system that would allow water allocations to be sold or leased at a price determined by the forces of supply and demand.  The government is looking to create a more robust system and the report outlines a plan to create an independent water authority sanctioned to facilitate information, plan water infrastructure and oversee the water market.  Many citizens voiced concern about the potential power grabs associated with formally trading water as a commodity. In response, Albertan government made it clear that trading would be governed by strict rules. “The Alberta Water Authority will oversee an Alberta water allocation exchange . . . It will also advise on policy changes to give holders of water licenses more opportunity to sell, lease or trade some or all of their right to draw water”. The idea for an internal trading system is clearly in the works but far from being fully-functional, which makes the Alberta Water Authority an interesting development to follow.

July 21st, 2011 Posted by  Root

Each year Portland is regularly ranked as a top city for recycling. Apparently, that commitment doesn’t extend to water. Recently, the City of Portland flushed 8.0 million gallons down the proverbial toilet because a drunken hooligan peed in a municipal reservoir (the video is awesome). Defending its decision, a city official explained that “the yuck factor was the primary reason.” Meanwhile, the rest of the World is growing up and is overcoming the “yuck factor” in favor of water reuse. According to a recent USA Today story, toilet-to-tap, groundwater recharge, and other direct uses of recycled wastewater are becoming a regular part of most municipal water supplies. In fact, WestWater Research helped the Town of Prescott Valley in 2007 successfully auction off effluent credits for more than $67 million. Clearly there is value in recycling water. Portland blew a defining moment to advance water reuse. Instead, city officials elected to fan the flames of paranoia by citing concerns of public health including the possibilities of exposure to Chlamydia or AIDS. Stay silly Portlandia.

June 21st, 2011 Posted by  Root

In a recent interview, American Water President and CEO Donald Correll said, “Our country’s water and wastewater infrastructure is in serious need of repair.  Both recently received a ‘D-’ from the American Society of Civil Engineers.” There exists myriad ways to boost infrastructure investment including government appropriations, private investment, and public-private partnerships.  Two current developments are surfacing that could change the face of water infrastructure investment and how its primary funding sources are utilized: namely, the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act of 2010 (SWIIA) and the Water Infrastructure Bank (WIB).  See Figure 1 for an illustration of the bank model and flow of funds.

To see the full article, go to AWRA Impact.

June 2nd, 2011 Posted by  Root

Introducing our new Water Market Insider, the first in a series of quarterly reports about the water-rights industry. We have taken a great deal of diligence to make this publication as valuable as possible to you and your business. Please submit your feedback on this first issue to let us know if we can provide additional information in future publications. E-mail us at info@waterexchange.com.

March 16th, 2011 Posted by  WestWater

April 28 & 29, 2011 | Bacara Resort | Santa Barbara, CA
Learn about California’s options for New Sources of water, the future of Private Capital investments, and the status of Water Trading.  WestWater is hosting its 3^rd Annual Conference Investing in Our Water Future: A Focus on California, featuring participation by leaders in water investment and water supply management.  To register or for more information, contact the Seminar Group at (800) 574-4852, or visit their website.

March 15th, 2011 Posted by  WestWater