Water rights audits and strategic plans are powerful planning tools for clients managing a complex portfolio of water rights. They help maximize and protect water rights to ensure long-term water supply needs are met. We begin by cataloging and assessing your water rights, and then developing strategies for protecting them. Here's how we help:
- Inventory—We begin by gathering existing documentation for water rights and water use. This can include client-supplied information (maps, land ownership records, well records, etc.) as well as publicly available water rights data. We then compile this data into a spreadsheet or other type of table or database, depending on the complexity of the project.
- Audit—The audit involves carefully assessing the water rights inventory to determine the status of the water rights, compliance with water right terms and conditions, the sufficiency of the authorized water supply, annual water use, and infrastructure (meters, measuring devices, etc.). Equally important is the evaluation of properties that use water, but do not have water rights—for these properties, we determine if a water right is needed or whether water use is exempt from the requirement to have a permit.
- Strategy and Implementation—From there, we develop a list of recommended actions for addressing issues with existing water rights (or lack of water rights) and steps to take to safeguard future supply reliability. We then help to implement the recommended actions and provide training and support to help our clients manage water rights on their own going forward.