Abstract:
Since publication of the Oregon State University–University of California report on Klamath Basin water allocation,1 the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) and Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) initiated a pilot project to
compensate growers who agree to withhold irrigation from 12,000 acres of Project lands. This “Pilot Water Bank,” in place for the 2003 growing season, was a step toward more flexible and cost-effective water allocation in times of
shortage. It differed in several key respects, however, from the mechanisms outlined in Chapter 19 of the report. This brief discusses how “water banks” could lower the cost of water shortages in the Upper Basin.
