In many basins throughout the West, snowmelt is coming earlier than in historic times, prompting holders of prior appropriation water rights to demand water at an earlier calendar date than in the past. This is obviously problematic for those rights defined in terms of specific calendar dates (associated with historic patterns of use), and may be even more troublesome for rights defined more generally (e.g., such as an “irrigation season” right), as this can have the net effect of increasing the diversion season and, thus, the size of the right. This ongoing project (Summer 2007 to Summer 2008) will examine the extent to which this problem exists in Colorado and in a yet-to-be-determined Pacific Northwest state, where earlier runoff is much more pronounced than in the Rocky Mountain region. Researchers Kenney, NRLC, Klein, CSTPR, Goemans, CSU, Alvord, CIRES.
The Influence of Climate Change on the Functioning of Water Rights: Project Overview
Climate Change and the Functioning of Water Rights: Results of Literature Search
The Effect of Changing Hydrographs on Interstate Apportionments
Climate and Hydrologic Trends in the Western U.S.: A Review of Recent Peer-Reviewed Research
Douglas Kenney, Natural Resource Law Center, University of Colorado
douglas.kenney@colorado.edu
Roberta, "Bobbie" Klein, Director, Center for Science Technology Policy and Research
bklein@cires.colorado.edu
Chris Goemans, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Colorado State University
cgoemans@colostate.edu
Christina Alvord, Professional Research Assistant, WWA
christina.alvord@noaa.gov
The Western Water Assessment, NOAA-CIRES
The Natural Resource Law Center, University of Colorado Law School