Here's a story from the Denver Post about farmers selling water rights to cities [January 17, 2006, "Bill makes water a cash crop"]. From the article, "Legislation introduced Monday would make it easier for farmers to sell a portion of their water to cities, while keeping enough to continue farming.
"Proponents say the bill would help preserve Colorado's agriculture industry by making water a renewable crop, instead of a one-time sale that puts farmers out of business and drains the rural economy...
"The Rotational Crop Management Bill would knock down legal barriers that demand all or nothing for farmers willing to sell water - and by extension, their trade - to cities."
"When cities buy water rights, they usually get the land in the deal, even though the real estate has little or no value for agriculture or development. The crop- management bill, introduced by state Rep. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton, would allow farmers to keep their land but sell the water that would have been used to irrigate it.
"Farmers then could let parts of their land lie fallow or grow crops that don't need irrigation, such as winter wheat or certain varieties of corn and alfalfa, as they sell water to cities. Farmers also could rotate the portion of their land designated to yield water, the same way they rotate crops.
"Colorado's current water- brokering system makes such arrangements complicated and too cumbersome for most farmers to even attempt, Hodge said."
Category: Colorado Water
7:32:59 AM 
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