Tech for Trade Water Management Survey: Summary Statistics and Documentation

Survey of eastern Washington water users on forecasting, consumptive use, and water market participation.

This survey report presents summary statistics and documentation from the Tech for Trade Water Management Survey conducted in 2020–2021 across the Methow, Okanogan, Walla Walla, and Yakima river basins. The survey, led by Washington State University and the State of Washington Water Research Center, gathered responses from 248 water rights holders and irrigation district farmers to better understand water management practices, forecasting use, consumptive use estimation, and attitudes toward water transfers and regulatory policies.

Results show limited use of long-range forecasts, modest adoption of consumptive use estimation, and relatively low comfort with water markets. Regulatory hurdles, uncertainty about water right valuation, and mistrust of institutions emerged as key barriers to transfers. A majority of respondents supported repeal of Washington’s relinquishment law and expressed mixed views on price disclosure in water markets. The report provides detailed response rates, sampling methods, and basin-level comparisons to support interpretation of findings.

This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Technology for Trade project (Award No. 2017-67023-26277).

This publication is part of an archive and may not meet current digital accessibility standards. CSANR is working to improve digital accessibility of all materials. If you need this content in an alternative format, please contact csanr@wsu.edu.

Authors

Cook, J. and Kumar, A.

Related Products

Related Project

Suggested Citation

Cook, J., Kumar, A. (2021). Summary Statistics and Survey Documentation: Tech for Trade Water Management Survey. Washington State University.

Year Published

2021

Areas of Focus

Agricultural Practices, Research Engagement & Communication, and Water Resources & Policy

Topics

Climate Change, Community Engaged Research, Production Systems, and Water Resources

Collaborators

  • Pacific Market Research

Funding Source