Agricultural water sharing

How it works

In the past, water transfers between agriculture and municipalities primarily involved purchasing farms and transferring the associated water rights to the city. Today, we balance municipal needs with farmers' needs through partnerships to share water to benefit both rural and urban economies. These partnerships range from storage cooperation to investments in more water-efficient pivot irrigation on farms.

When farmers transition from traditional flood irrigation to more efficient irrigation technology, they use less water to maintain the economics of the farm. Parts of a field that no longer need to be irrigated create water efficiencies that we can acquire for municipal use.

Mutual benefits of water sharing

• Emphasizes collaboration rather than competition for water. Both partners benefit.
• Provides multiple ways to create stability for municipal supplies and the agriculture economy in the basin.
• Reduces large scale, indiscriminate transfers and permanent removal of water from agriculture.
• Supports the use of efficient irrigation technology resulting in more efficient use of water and improved water quality for downstream users.

Additional programs of work

We continue to build on the successes of our first water sharing agreements: