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 1994-05-23 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:RCED-94-35 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-35 P0b002ee18039424e f:rc94035 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-35 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-35 RCED-94-35 Water resources development Water supply management Environmental law Environmental monitoring Environmental impact statements Water conservation Tanks (containers) Inland waterways Civil engineering Public works Central Valley Project (CA) Arizona California Colorado Idaho Kansas Montana Nebraska Nevada New Mexico North Dakota Oklahoma Oregon South Dakota Texas Utah Washington Wyoming Colorado River Basin Chapter Report RCED Debates over how water from western federal water projects should be used have become more heated in recent years. Farmers use more than 80 percent of the western water withdrawn for use. Environmental problems, such as selenium contamination and salinity, have been linked to agricultural irrigation. Moreover, as urban populations, tourism, and environmental awareness continue to grow, the demand for water increases for cities, recreation, and fish and wildlife habitats. Building dams to meet new demand is often not an option because of their high price tags and harmful environmental effects. Advocated by resource economists and others, water markets, in which rights to use water are bought and sold, would allocate water to its highest economic use by allowing those who place the highest economic value on it to buy it. This report examines (1) the costs and benefits of water transfers; (2) how water markets might be structured to address the impacts on parties outside of transfers; (3) the legal, institutional, and other issues that would need to be addressed to implement a federal water market; and (4) how transfers of water from federal projects could be coordinated with state law. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-35/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-35.htm GAO/RCED-94-35 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-35 Chapter Report GAO/RCED-94-35; Water Transfers: More Efficient Water Use Possible, If Problems Are Addressed; Water resources development Water supply management Environmental law Environmental monitoring Environmental impact statements Water conservation Tanks (containers) Inland waterways Civil engineering Public works Central Valley Project (CA) Arizona California Colorado Idaho Kansas Montana Nebraska Nevada New Mexico North Dakota Oklahoma Oregon South Dakota Texas Utah Washington Wyoming Colorado River Basin