New tool, less regulation: Our approach to keeping water local
New tool, less regulation:
Our approach to keeping water local
Kristina Ribellia
Founder of Western Water Market
May 20, 2020
You likely saw or heard about the Seattle Times headline, “Wall Street spends millions to buy up Washington state water.” The following day they published another doozy of an article, “Wall Street seeks a valuable resource from Washington state’s aging farmers: their water.”
People were outraged. This two-part series shook the region and spurred an unexpected, lively legislative session in early 2020 that has yet to play out.
But I knew the articles were coming and I knew first-hand the local concerns that were being brought to light. That’s largely why I built and launched Western Water Market — to be used locally as a tool to help keep water local and flowing to where it’s needed most.
Yes, there are outside investors who have backed deals in Washington state. And some water rights have been transferred out of headwater basins, which can’t, in most circumstances, be moved back upstream under current rules.
But is this a huge, actual threat or are the instances and quantities of water fairly minimal? And is more government regulation what’s actually needed?
Poll results; taken during Department of Ecology’s Advisory Group on Water Trust, Banking and Transfers meeting held April 16, 2020
Thankfully, Washington Department of Ecology is convening an advisory group on water trust, banking and transfers with some of the best minds and most concerned citizens to flesh out all concerns and potential impacts prior to presenting recommendations to the Legislature this fall.
But while all this is being debated, know that Western Water Market is available now as a tool for local communities.
It’s a voluntary solution paid for by its users.
Here’s our approach and recommendations
Consider listing as a water right buyer on Western Water Market
Our number one recommendation to help keep water rights local is to list as a buyer on Western Water Market. Before we launched this publicly available marketplace in February 2020, people simply didn’t have an easy way to know if or who in their community might be interested in buying their water rights.
Don’t wait for water right holders to be approached by an outside buyer and miss the opportunity to keep and use the water locally.
Be proactive — list as a buyer.
Subscribe to our email list and never miss an update
Secondly, we recommend subscribing to our email list to be the first to learn when new water rights get listed for sale or lease on Western Water Market. This way, you and your community have an opportunity to make an offer and potentially purchase those water rights.
Current water right buyers on Western Water Market as of May 18, 2020
Help get the word out
Lastly, we recommend encouraging water right holders in your community to check out Western Water Market. If the time comes and they might be interested in leasing or selling their water rights, we hope they search our local buyers or choose to list on the market.
And if they do — you’ll be the first to know.
Contact us for a stack of postcards to use in your community.
If you’re interested in bringing Western Water Market to your community, please contact us.
Kristina Ribellia launched westernwatermarket.com in February 2020 to help connect water right buyers and sellers at the local level in communities across the West, beginning with the Washington market.
Kristina’s vision for creating a more open and efficient water market is rooted in her experience serving as Washington Water Trust’s lead project manager for the Okanogan, Walla Walla, and White Salmon basins from 2014-2019 and as a facilitator for the Methow Watershed Council’s Methow Water 2066 initiative in 2019.