An Abstract of the Thesis Of
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AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Sarah Brennan for the degree of Master of Science in Water Resources Policy and Management presented on September 15, 2017. Title: A Review of Water Banking in State Legislation of the Western United States Abstract approved: ______________________________________________________ W. Todd Jarvis Among the suite of water resources management strategies, water banking can be a tool for water resource management in areas with high water demands or localized water scarcity. This research aims to further the understanding of water banking by conducting a review and analysis of relevant state legislation. This research identified legislation that explicitly mentions water banking and then assessed how states compare on the comprehensiveness of their water banking legislation. In this study over three hundred pieces of legislative documents referencing water banks and water banking were examined and coded to compare the nineteen states that use the Prior Appropriations Doctrine. Of the states examined, seven states had no mention of water banking in their legislation. The remaining twelve states were assessed and compared on a qualitative scale of comprehensiveness through twenty- eight categories. Washington, Arizona, and New Mexico rank consistently high in the individual categories, such as quantity and management, and the overall analysis determined that the state of Washington has the most comprehensive legislation regarding water banking. Conducting this research has enabled the identification of policy elements and objectives most often associated with water banking and has provided a platform for further discussions on how the progression of water banking legislation can compare to the growth of water banking practices and other water resource management strategies. ©Copyright by Sarah Brennan September 15, 2017 All Rights Reserved A Review of Water Banking in State Legislation of the Western United States by Sarah Brennan A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Presented September 15, 2017 Commencement June 2018 Master of Science thesis of Sarah Brennan presented on September 15, 2017. APPROVED: Major Professor, representing Water Resources Policy and Management Director of the Water Resources Graduate Program Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my thesis to any reader upon request. Sarah Brennan, Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to publicly thank the many people that have helped produce this report. I would like to express sincere appreciation to my thesis committee and advisors: Dr. Michael Campana, Dr. Mark Giordano, and Dr. Todd Jarvis. They continued to support me through difficult times and their guidance and feedback was not only crucial for this paper but also significant in shaping my career. I am grateful to Mary Santelmann, the Water Resources Graduate Program, and the countless formal and informal teachers that have provide feedback, critiques, and endless hours of support and motivation. In addition, I would like to thank Lisa Gaines and Todd Jarvis, Directors of the Institute for Natural Resources (INR), and the Institute for Water and Watersheds (IWW) for the opportunities to work with them and for advancing my professional skills. For the completion of this report, I spoke with members of the public, program directors, and those that have experience working with water bank institutions and policies. Their information and guidance helped to shape the direction of this research to best support those in the field. Thank you for your participation. In addition, I would like to share my eternal thanks and love to Brian Chung, my fiancé. His constant support and encouragement gave me the strength and motivation to finish. Thank you to my family for their unwavering love, support, and encouragement. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 2 Literature Review..............................................................................................................4 3 Methods ............................................................................................................................7 3.1 Research Questions and Contributions ................................................................7 3.2 Qualitative Methods ............................................................................................7 3.3 Setting the Parameters .........................................................................................8 3.3.a. States ..................................................................................................8 3.3.b. Documents .........................................................................................9 3.3.c Search Protocol .................................................................................10 3.4 Process ...............................................................................................................10 3.4.a Stage 1: Data Collection....................................................................10 3.4.b Stage 2: Data Analysis ......................................................................12 3.4.b.i Levels ..................................................................................12 3.4.b.ii Codes .................................................................................13 3.4.b.iii Qualitative Information ....................................................14 3.4.b.iv Comparative State Information .........................................14 4 Results …………………………………………………………………………… ........15 4.1 Analysis 1: The Levels........................................................................................15 4.2 Analysis 2: The Codes to Water Banking ...........................................................18 4.2.a. Category Comparison ......................................................................21 4.2.b. Overall State Scores .........................................................................23 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) 5 Discussion ....................................................................................................................24 5.1 Expanding on the results ..................................................................................23 5.1.a. Water Banking as a Tool ..................................................................26 5.1.b. Deferment of Policy to Established Banks ......................................26 5.1.c. Interstate Water Banking Agreements .............................................27 5.1.d. The Weight of Water Banking .........................................................28 5.2 Linking Law and Practice ................................................................................29 5.2.a. Connecting Legislation to Practice .................................................29 5.2.b. Local Implementation ......................................................................30 5.2.c. Groundwater .....................................................................................31 5.3 Future Research Opportunities ........................................................................33 6 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................34 6.1 Limitations, Challenges, and Lessons, Learned...............................................34 6.2 How States Should Proceed .............................................................................36 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................38 Appendices .........................................................................................................................42 A. List of Self-Identified Water Banks .......................................................................42 B. Full Chart of Comparative Analysis Results .........................................................45 C. Code Examples ......................................................................................................48 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. ArcGIS Map of Water Banks ..........................................................................................3 2. Legislation Count by State .............................................................................................17 3. Legislation Count by Region ........................................................................................17 4. Time Distribution of Legislative Documents ................................................................18 5. Code Cloud ...................................................................................................................19 6. Overall State Scores .....................................................................................................23 7. State Score Comparison ................................................................................................24 8. Drought in the U.S. .......................................................................................................33 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Examples of Water Banking Definitions ....................................................................1