Browsing by Subject "Water policy"
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Item Dividing the water at Fort Quitman : a discussion of binational allocation and dynamic treaty interpretations(2016-05) Henley, Marion Hope; Eaton, David J.; Rubinstein, Carlos; Niemeyer, SteveThis report discusses the binational water allocation of the Rio Grande between the United States (U.S.) and Mexico. The International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico (IBWC) is charged with the administration and enforcement of treaties and other international agreements governing this watercourse, including but not limited to the Convention of 1906 and the Treaty of 1944. These two treaties establish an upper and lower segment of the Rio Grande. The 1906 Convention allocates water to Mexico and the U.S. in the transboundary segment from El Paso to Fort Quitman, about 90 miles away. The 1944 Treaty governs the watercourse from Fort Quitman to the Gulf of Mexico. Water allocation at Fort Quitman is indefinite in these treaties because the location represents a “terminus” point of the two segments. A plain-language interpretation of the treaties indicates the flows reaching this gage actually belong 100 percent to U.S., and therefore to Texas water rights holders, due to a waiver of rights by Mexico in the 1906 Convention for all flows in the upper segment. However, the established practice of the IBWC since the 1950s is to allocate those waters equally between Mexico and the U.S. (“50/50”). Research into IBWC materials reveals that this 50/50 allocation practice was established ad-hoc. There is no diplomatic evidence of agreement between the nations to justify the 50/50 allocation. Indeed, the current allocation practice at Fort Quitman contradicts the actual treaty text. The IBWC has not exercised its authority to establish the 50/50 allocation lawfully. Recommendations to remedy the matter include returning all the flows at Fort Quitman to the U.S. and Texas, to mandate the 50/50 practice through legal and diplomatic policy-making mechanisms. Another issue is whether Mexico ought to compensate the U.S. for the 2.1 million acre-feet it has received since the informal water allocation began in 1958 in contradiction to the treaties.Item Farm level financial impacts of water policy on the southern Ogallala Aquifer(Texas Tech University, 2008-12) Weinheimer, Justin A.; Knight, Tom; Johnson, Phillip N.; Segarra, Eduardo; Brigham, Keith H.; Allen, Vivien G.The Texas Southern High Plains relies heavily on irrigation water provided by the Ogallala Aquifer. Throughout history, the agricultural economy and production capabilities in the Texas Panhandle has evolved to become an important supplier of food and fiber around the world. There is no question that this precious resource is finite, as current pumping withdrawals exceed recharge rates in most areas, particularly in the Southern Ogallala. Concerns over future supplies and the sustainability of irrigated agriculture have attracted the attention of policy makers throughout the eight states overlying the Ogallala. Recent legislation in Texas (Senate Bills 1 & 2) has shown a strong commitment towards increasing the efforts of water conservation through water policy implementation. Due to the increasing likelihood of water management policies being implemented on the Texas High Plains, this study evaluated the response of a representative farm to the implementation of a water policy which restricts the amount of irrigation water availability such that 50% of the current saturated thickness must remain in 50 years, commonly known as the 50/50 water policy. This policy was evaluated over a ten year planning horizon with the primary goals of determining how the farm reacts to the 50/50 policy in terms of enterprise and crop selection and how the farm would be impacted financially both in risk profile and cash positions. An integrated two step approach was used in the evaluation. First, a non-linear dynamic optimization model was developed to determine farm level response decisions and crop selection, and second a stochastic simulation model was utilized to understand the changes in cash positions of the farm resulting from the policy implementation. Baseline models were run for four different water availability scenarios (120ft, 100ft, 80ft, and 60ft saturated thickness) representing status quo farming practices. Constrained models were then run under the restriction of the 50/50 water policy to determine the changes from the baseline scenario. Primary results for the optimization models indicate that LEPA irrigated cotton and dryland sorghum are the optimal crops under both baseline and constrained models which maximize net returns per acre. Additionally the policy did affect the producers optimal decisions of crop selection in that total dryland acres increased. Financial viability of the farm decreased under the 50/50 water policy as the probability of negative net cash income and ending cash reserves increased for all scenarios, with the greatest impacts being on the moderate to high saturated thickness levels. The probability of negative net cash income and ending cash reserves was similar for the baseline models and constrained models for the lower saturated thickness scenarios. Finally, significant water savings occurred only on moderate to high levels of initial saturated thickness.Item Saving water in farming : methodology for water conservation verification efforts in the agricultural sector(2013-05) Ramirez Huerta, Ana Karina; Eaton, David J.This dissertation develops, tests and validates statistical methods for verifying the amount of water conserved as a result of investments in precision leveling, other on-farm conservation measures in place, weather variation and farmer behavior. This evaluation uses a sample of 328 unique fields from Lakeside Irrigation Division in Texas over a six-year period, totaling 966 observations. Results show that precision leveling accounts for a 0.30 acre-feet reduction of irrigation water per acre leveled. This Mixed-Level Model (MLM) estimate for precision leveling water savings is more precise than the estimates either from an Ordinary Least Square Model or a Fixed Effect Model. A meta analysis combines the results from this model with other similar studies. Although the mean estimate of the meta-analysis is similar to the MLM estimate, the meta-analysis further reduces the standard error of the mean precision leveling estimate by 2 percent. A better approximation of the acre-feet water savings per acre farmed translates into less uncertainty for water regulators, managers and policymakers regarding the volume of conserved water that is available for transfer.Item Water policy alternatives for the outhern Ogallala aquifer: economic and hydrologic implications(Texas Tech University, 2005-07) Wheeler, Erin Alexis; Segarra, Eduardo; Johnson, Phillip N.; Willis, David B.; Johnson, JeffEvaluation of water policy alternatives for the southern Ogallala aquifer including the High Plains of Texas and Eastern New Mexico.Item Water policy alternatives for the Southern Ogallala Aquifer: Economic and hydrologic implications(2005-08) Wheeler, Erin Alexis; Segarra, Eduardo; Johnson, Phillip N.; Willis, David B.; Johnson, JeffEvaluation of Water Policy Alternatives for the Southern Ogallala Aquifer including the High Plains of Texas and Eatern New Mexico.