Food Shortages, Water Rights, Ranch Land, and Farm Land

Water Rights, Farm Land, and Food Shortages

The twentieth century was one of the wettest going back several centuries. Nevada Water Rights is partially based on priority dates.

Remember when no one gave a second thought to children playing in the water with the hose running in the yard all day? I spent many afternoons running through the sprinkler myself. You may remember when people would have thought you were “nuts” to ask people to pay for a bottle with nothing but water in it?

Things are changing, water is about to get much more expense.

University of Arizona scientist Connie Woodhouse said tree rings in the Colorado River basin indicate that the amount of moisture has fluctuated widely over hundreds of years, but has tended to be drier than was seen in the last 100 years.

This wetter period seems to be confirmed by The Lees Ferry gaged flow record.

California ranks No. 1 in population with 37 million people and No. 1 in agricultural output at $ 36.6 billion in 2007. At the present time there is not enough water to supply both those demands. California is facing the most significant water crisis in its history. June 2008, the governor declared a state wide drought.

A study released by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego said there’s a 50 percent chance that Lake Mead could run dry by 2021. Several models by different scientist have made predictions about the future flow of the Colorado River, all of which forecast less water. The current usage is simply not sustainable said Tim Barnett, one of the Scripps study’s authors. “It’s a question of when,” he said. Lake Mead is the Las Vegas water supply.

The NASA/German Aerospace Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) study has found since 2003 the aquifers for California’s primary agricultural region the Central Valley and its major mountain water source the Sierra Nevada have lost nearly enough water combined to fill Lake Mead, America’s largest reservoir. This area represents nearly one sixth of all the United States irrigated land and the dropping water tables have the potential to have huge implications to the US economy.

The Ogallala, the United States largest aquifer is struggling, since the pumps began going into the ground in the 1950′s the effects are clear. There is much written on this.

Many people assume areas of the country with abundant rain fall do not have aquifers in trouble, this is simply not correct, a false sense of security. Take the Grande Ronde Aquifer . The huge aquifer that covers most of Washington State, part of Oregon and BC. They get plentiful rain and yet the water table continues to drop.

Added value to land with water rights, and irrigated farm land in Nevada. Nevada state water laws date back 100 years and are very clear. Laws vary greatly from state to state, and the Colorado River serves seven states. The control, use and ownership of water rights will dictate future development.

With many land listing that include Water Rights in Nevada, if you have questions please feel free to contact me.

Chris W. Miller
Independence Realty
435-862-5951

702-733-9337
Land in Nevada

Nevada Water Rights

Nevada Ranch Properties

Lincoln County Land Market

Mesquite NV Real Estate Market