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Research Support for Climate-Responsive Western Water Management: the Case of Agricultural Water Transfers

Principal Investigator

Dr. David Yates, Research Applications Program, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO

Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. John Wiener, CU, Research Associate, Program on Environment and Behavior, Institute of Behavioral Science, Campus Box 468, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. 80309-0468. Phone 303-492-6746; john.wiener@colorado.edu

Western water management pivots on the balance between historic agricultural uses, still greater than 85% of consumptive use, and increased demand for municipal, environmental, and recreational uses. Increased responsiveness to changing supply as well as demand is generally desired for drought, agricultural improvement, and other water needs. There have been both success and frustration in responding to climate information, with varying and unknown outcomes in technical, social, and environmental changes. Using focused workshops with supporting literature review and interviews, this work will seek a view of the larger picture emerging from disparate and differently motivated research efforts, focusing on water transfers. There is increasing support for new forms of water transfer that are intended to support irrigation rather than simply ending it in order to move water, but there is little experience with the new arrangements.

Workshop 1 is to assess progress in climate information applications for improved western water management, asking how we are doing in making such management possible and desirable regarding both agricultural use and transfers from agriculture. This will include assistance and participation from the Central Plains Irrigation Association, which brings together cooperative extension services from Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming with additional USDA and other participants, the private sector and irrigation technology supply in particular, and researchers. This workshop will also discuss on-farm issues.

Workshop 2 is to assess consequences of adoption and capacity to manage transfers in general, using forecasts and available farm management information, with regard to farm viability, soil and vegetation issues arising from climate-responsive water management. The critical role of ditch companies will be an important focus. Can we foresee the farm, social, and landscape consequences as people adopt climate-responsive management?

Workshop 3 is to assess the predictability of impacts from successful adoption of increased climate-responsive water management. If the changed management is as widespread as suggested by theory, and current discourse, there will be significant intermittent withdrawal of flows from water distribution systems, which provide important habitat through flows, seepage, return flows, and re-timing of flows. Are the off-farm consequences of widespread adoption adequately predictable to avoid adverse surprise? An issue common to all three is the problem of fallowing, revegetation or conversion of formerly irrigated lands.

Workshop participants will represent private sector interests, state and federal agencies, and researchers from agricultural, engineering, social, and ecological areas of study; funding is sought for a limited number of participants but workshop participation by others will be invited. Between the time of proposal of the project, and the time when it became possible to begin work, opportunity for timely performance of some of the planned research was lost, but interest in the issues has increased significantly (see Report, Section 8, of Phase 1, (2004) and Questions to be Addressed, Phase 2, (2005) of Statewide Water Supply Initiative.