COLORADO'S 'SUPER DITCH': CAN FARMERS COOPERATE TO MAKE LEMONADE OUT OF LEMONS?

摘要

Colorado's Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI) shows that the state has onlyrnenough water to meet about 70% of its needs by the year 2030, with most of the gaprnoccurring in the front range urban areas of the state. The SWSI report forecasts that arnmajority of the water needed for cities will transition from agriculture, which currentlyrnuses more than 80% of the state's water. Agricultural communities are concerned whatrnsuch a transition could mean to their viability. The second phase of SWSI investigatedrnsuch alternatives to the traditional "buy and dry" as interruptible supply agreements,rnrotational fallowing leases, water banks and cropping changes.rnThe Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District (LAVWCD), inspired by thernPalo Verde Irrigation District in California, set about to see if ditch companies in thernlower Arkansas Valley might agree to form a "super ditch" whereby they wouldrncooperatively pool part of their water to gain operational flexibility and make it availablernfor lease to cities. By working together in a rotational fallowing scheme, theyrnconceptualize that they will have greater bargaining power. Perhaps by converting part ofrntheir land from growing hay or corn to growing "water" they could actually benefitrnfinancially, and keep their agricultural communities viable.rnThose attempting to transform the concept into reality are finding that "the devil is in therndetails." This paper is presented as a sociological case study in the making. The authorsrndetail the steps Super Ditch organizers went through to determine if their scheme isrnfeasible, as well as the hoops they are now going through to try to bring it to fruition.