A water rights transfer evaluation procedure with applications for western energy development

Abstract

This report deals with questions of water supply for coal deve- lopment in the semiarid western United States. A method is developed to evaluate yields of water rights in "appropriation" or "permit" systems of water administration. Water rights are characterized in terms of location, priority, decreed maximum diversion, actual diver- sion in periods of low flow, and consumptive use. Transfers of water rights are evaluated in this method by using institutional procedures as a framework for analysis. A case study is performed on the North Fork of the Powder River, Wyoming, in which institutional considera- tions are discussed, and water rights are evaluated for a hypothetical facility. This procedure is not limited to energy facilities, but may be used in most cases of water rights trasnfers. The method is designed for use with easily obtained data in order to facilitate its use in practice.