Water Market Insider

CWT kick-starts Colorado’s environmental water market

WestWater — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:54:24 +0000

Colorado has long been behind the curve in acquiring water for environmental/instream purposes to improve fish and wildlife habitat. The slow development of Colorado’s environmental water rights market is attributable to state laws allowing only the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to own instream water rights for environmental purposes, and to the lack of funding for environmental water purchases. However, environmental water trading is heating up as the Colorado Water Trust (CWT) positions itself to facilitate instream water leases this summer. In response to this year’s severe drought conditions, the CWT will be partnering with the CWCB and local agencies to secure water rights, ensuring that threatened streams around the state stay flowing. These efforts are designed to promote win-win situations, benefiting farmers and anglers alike.

http://www.roaringfork.org/images/research/2012.05.03RequestforWater2012meetingPR.pdf

The Water Resources Investor Event

Hardy — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:53:00 +0000

Gain valuable insight from experts. Unlock the value and opportunities in this emerging market for water. Experience unparallelled networking and access to investors, market makers and business executives.

The Water Resources Investor Event brings together leading market analysts, investment managers and technology leaders that are active in water resources and water asset development. This is the second in the series Water Rights & Trading, created by WestWater Research and American Water Intelligence.

April 12 & 13, 2012 | Bacara Resort | Santa Barbara, CA
View conference website

New series of thought-provoking conferences

Hardy — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:37:01 +0000

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.

The global market for water trading

Hardy — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:26:57 +0000

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.

Water Storage is leading to Lawsuits

Hardy — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:12:22 +0000

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.

Shaping Alberta’s Water Future

Root — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:15:27 +0000

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.

Portlandia – Don’t Drink the Water

Root — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:20:20 +0000

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.

Recent Developments in Water Infrastructure Investing

Root — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:58:48 +0000

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.

Current News

WestWater — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 22:26:18 +0000

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.

California’s Premier Event on Water Finance & Development

WestWater — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 22:16:04 +0000

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^rdAnnual 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.