United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1994-09-21 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:RCED-94-164 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-164 P0b002ee180391982 f:rc94164 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-164 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-164 RCED-94-164 Water resources development Water supply management Construction costs Interest rates Civil engineering Economic development Fees Public works Water rights Bureau of Reclamation Emery County Project (UT) Colorado River Storage Project Letter Report RCED

Most water in the arid western United States delivered through federal projects is used for agriculture, but the demand for water for urban, recreational, and environmental uses is growing. The federal government plays a role in water management in the arid West mainly through water resource projects. Water transfer, in which rights to use water are bought and sold, is seen by many resource economists as a way to reallocate scarce water to new users by allowing those who place the highest economic value on it to purchase it. Those who want more water--such as municipalities--often are willing to pay considerably higher prices for it than the current users, and irrigators who receive subsidized water from federal projects may want to transfer this water to a municipality at a profit. At the same time, these transactions may allow the Bureau of Reclamation to share in the profits. This report examines (1) whether water transfers will boost revenues, (2) how the Bureau could increase its revenues from transferred water, and (3) what issues the Bureau should consider in setting prices for transferred water. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-164/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-164.htm GAO/RCED-94-164 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-164 Letter Report GAO/RCED-94-164; Water Markets: Increasing Federal Revenues Through Water Transfers; Water resources development Water supply management Construction costs Interest rates Civil engineering Economic development Fees Public works Water rights Bureau of Reclamation Emery County Project (UT) Colorado River Storage Project Title 43 Section 373 Title 43 Section 390aa Title 43 Section 391 Title 43 Section 392a Title 43 Section 485h 43 U.S.C. 373 43 U.S.C. 390aa 43 U.S.C. 391 43 U.S.C. 392a 43 U.S.C. 485h