Water Rights in the West

What every landowner needs to know

Few things are as crucial to ranch operations as water. Getting a handle on your water rights may seem akin to drinking from a fire hose, but it is wildly important. Western water is complex, contentious, and rooted in rich history. For anyone who owns or operates a working landscape, making the investment to become an expert on your water rights can give you an amazing window into the history of both your property and region, and prove invaluable when the inevitable conflict arises. This must-read article will help get you started.

Read Now

The Western Landowners Alliance and the authors reserve all copyrights on publications posted on our website unless otherwise noted. Please contact us for reprints or for special use requests.

Browse our Library

Cover from Tech_Note_Non-Lethal Risk Management Practices_Final.docx-2

Reducing Risk on the Range: Non-lethal Practices for Managing Carnivore-Livestock Conflicts

Non-lethal predation risk management practices, including range riding, carcass management,electric fencing/fladry, and associated practices can be incorporated into livestock productionsystems to benefit both agricultural operations and wildlife. These practices: This…

Cover of Grizzly_Situation_Problem_Solution 8.12.24_web_final

Expanding Human-Grizzly Bear Conflicts: The Situation, Challenges and Solutions

Grizzly bears are expanding their ranges into historic habitats outside of recovery zones, and much of the expansion is happening on private working lands and the urban wildland interface. Western…

Range Riding Producer Tool Kit

Range riding is a long-used and flexible practice, making it a beneficial conflict reduction tool for use in diverse, ever-changing western landscapes. The overarching goal of range riding for predator…

Electric Fencing Producer Tool Kit

Fencing, turbo fladry and electric drive over mats are tools that can be used to deter conflict through exclusion of large carnivores and/or containment of livestock. These temporary, semi-permanent or…

Carcass Management Producer Tool Kit

Across the West, carcass management is increasingly recognized as an important part of systems-based livestock and predator conflict prevention efforts and for its role in increasing human safety on the…

A road map to place-based collaboration for conflict reduction

Place-based collaborative groups offer a means to coordinate community-scale action to address wildlife-livestock conflicts, and processes to lift landowner and livestock producer needs, while finding areas of agreement and shared…

COVER co-river-basin-ag-water-users-survey (1)

Agricultural Water Users’ Preferences for Addressing Water Shortages in the Colorado River Basin

The Colorado River Basin is in crisis. There is no longer enough water for all of those who depend on it. The agricultural sector is the largest water user in…

COVER_WLA 2023 FarmBillPlatform _vF_ForWeb

A Farm Bill that works for the West

WLA’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform There are many threats facing working lands in the West today, from drought and fire to economic challenges to increasingly intense development pressure. With every…

2023 National Policy Platform

As landowners and land managers, we recognize that well-managed working lands are the cornerstones of both human communities and the ecosystems on which we all depend. We know what it…

Farm Bill and Water in the West_vF.10.26.2022

Western water conservation and drought mitigation on private working lands

Policy opportunities in the farm bill and beyond The western United States continues to face extended and increasingly severe drought conditions that threaten municipal and agricultural water supplies, energy production,…

Never miss a new publication or resource from Western Landowners Alliance.

It's important to be prepared for what's in front of you. Western Landowners Alliance produces vital resources from and for landowners on topics as critical and varied as public policy, economics, and stewardship best practices. Subscribe to our email list to ensure you are always in the loop.

GET UPDATES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

* We don’t share your personal info with anyone. Check out our Privacy Policy for more information.