ATMs are Useful for More Than Obtaining Quick Cash
Agricultural water use in Colorado still comprises approximately 90 percent of the water use in Colorado, yet the population in Colorado continues to grow, from an estimated 5.6 million currently to 8.7 million by 2050. These new residents will need a water supply, which is putting increasing pressure on developing new municipal water supplies and will continue to into the future. Historically, to meet the ever-growing municipal demands, water utilities have sought out agricultural water supplies in what has come to be known as “buy and dry,” which is the permanent retirement of irrigated agricultural lands so the depletions related to the use of that water can be transferred to municipalities. Buy and dry of agricultural lands is accomplished through a change of use in Water Court (see July 14 LWS blog).
Since the loss of agricultural lands can have a significant economic impact on rural communities, not to mention the loss of productive farms that provide food for Americans, and because it also creates environmental issues, e.g., proliferation of noxious weeds, erosion, and wind-blown sediments, there has been increasing emphasis on finding alternatives to buy and dry.
You all know ATMs as a way to get cash when you need it; however, the acronym ATMs also stands for alternative transfer methods. These are alternative means to make water available to municipalities, or for other uses, instead of employing the buy and dry technique. ATMs can come in several forms, such as:
Rotational fallowing
Deficit irrigation
Interruptible water supply leases
There are also many variations within this framework; however, the key to any ATM is that the farmer retains the legal right to his/her water while, at the same time, making water available to municipalities and/or in farmer-to-farmer transactions. In this way, farmers and rural communities can maintain their economic viability while municipalities are assisted with meeting their growing needs: A classic “win-win” situation.
LWS was involved in one of the first large-scale ATM projects, a collaboration between the Parker Water and Sanitation District (PWSD) and Colorado State University (CSU), see Figure 1. This study was conducted on several farms owned by PWSD near Iliff, Colorado, from 2008-2012. Three crop irrigation management techniques were evaluated as part of this research:
Limited irrigation, where irrigation is applied in lesser amounts than full evapotranspiration (ET) demand by timing irrigations to critical crop growth stages and managing crop water stress;
Partial season irrigation, where perennial forage crops receive a full water supply for part of the season, then irrigation ceases; and
Rotational fallowing, whereby lands are alternatively taken out of, and then put into, production on either a 2-year or a 3-year rotation.
The study also evaluated alternative means to reduce salinity in the soils, a pervasive problem in this area.
The other unique aspect of this study was to cooperate with the farmers themselves in conducting some of the research, so that the techniques developed are not only theoretically defensible, but also practically applicable. An article summarizing the Parker/CSU study was published in The Water Report and the full final report on this research was published by CSU.
Figure 1: Parker Farms-CSU ATM Study
This education process for farmers is vital as, while ATMs can provide a viable alternative to buy and dry, acceptance of these methods is far from universal. Resistance to ATMs due to lack of understanding, or other reasons, results in the buy and dry process continuing to be prevalent.
Rotational fallowing/cropping patterns and interruptible water supply leases can be operated independently or sometimes can go hand in hand. Rotational fallowing has two aspects, (1) rotationally fallow a certain amount of land among a number of farms so that a fixed amount of water is made available every year, but from different farms, and/or (2) rotating from more water-intensive crops to less water-intensive crops to make water available on a temporary basis based on the water savings related to the crop water use. By rotationally fallowing lands to make water available for alternative uses, the farmer is paid an amount at least commensurate with the earnings that would have been realized from farming the land, and typically in excess of what would have been earned. In some cases, these leases can be for a firm yield every year and, in other cases, they may provide water in some years, such as during dry times, but may not operate in wetter years. By rotating crops, additional water may be provided with the changes and may be beneficial in farmer-to-farmer transactions.
An example of a current large collaborative rural-municipal partnership to avoid buy and dry was presented in a LWS blog series (September 15, 22, and 29, 2020).
LWS is very experienced in all aspects of agricultural irrigation practices, and assessing the means to optimize irrigation practices, as well as water rights conversions in Water Court, as well as rotational fallowing agreements. If you have issues related to your water rights and the optimization of these rights, as well as developing alternative means to more efficiently use available water, please contact us at 303-350-4090, or email us.
Bruce Lytle bruce@lytlewater.com
Chris Fehn chris@lytlewater.com
Anna Elgqvist anna@lytlewater.com
