Chapter 5
WATER TRANSFERS AND EFFICIENT
MANAGEMENT OF DEVELOPED SUPPLIES
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s competition for limited water supplies increases, the value of those supplies also increases. This competition provides an incentive to employ new management strategies that better utilize existing supplies.
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Using existing developed water supplies efficiently is an important element in successfully meeting Utah's future water needs. As competition for limited water supplies increases, the value of those supplies also increases. This economic incentive can lead to the outright transfer of water from one use to another, or it can encourage other water management strategies to be employed that maximize the benefits provided by existing uses. Accordingly, this chapter discusses agricultural water transfers as well as the following water management strategies: agricultural water-use efficiency, conjunctive use of surface and ground water, aquifer storage and recovery, secondary water systems, cooperative water operating agreements and water reuse.
Many areas in the state could experience increased benefits from their presently developed water supplies if they were to implement one or more of these management strategies. Where appropriate, state and federal agencies should promote these strategies by emphasizing them as alternatives to be explored in the planning stages of local projects.
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