Spencer Williams of Ponderosa Advisors provides his insight into how different prior appropriation regimes are administered in several prior appropriation states, as well as a hybrid prior appropriation-riparian state. His insights into how water rights embody property rights and the difficulty in gaining precision as to the boundaries of water rights are fascinating. Spencer also discusses the Water Sage™ tool offered by Ponderosa Advisors and how it assists those seeking to gain a better understanding of a number of issues concerning water rights.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

What the doctrine of prior appropriation is
The difficulty conceptualizing water rights as property rights
The differences and similarities among prior appropriation regimes in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming
Why those in water markets need to understand other water uses in their basins
How the Texas prior appropriation-riparian hybrid system works
Why, in Texas, groundwater is king
The challenges Texas is facing concerning its system of water rights
The functionality and features of Water Sage™

Resources and links mentioned in or relevant to this session include:

Ponderosa Advisors website
The Water Sage™ website
Texas Tribune article on the Dow Chemical water rights lawsuit
Report by Montana’s Legislative Services Division (Krista Lee Evans, Research Analyst) to the Montana legislature describing water management administration in select states

TWV Podcast #034 What’s an Augmentation Plan? further describing elements of Colorado’s prior appropriation law
TWV Podcast #070 Prior Appropriation and How It Shaped the West with Hon. Gregory Hobbs, Jr. (ret.)

Transcript

Click here to download the Transcript for Session 77 of The Water Values Podcast.

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