Browsing by Subject "Water resources development"
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Item Analyses of water markets and allocation mechanisms in Texas(Texas Tech University, 1997-08) Yoskowitz, David WilliamThe purpose of this study is, given water scarcity in the State of Texas, to examine the efforts to improve the efficient use of water through marketing and transfers. There has been quite a bit of work conducted in the area ofthe efficiency of water marketing in general, including Howe et al. [1986], Saliba [1987], and Simpson [1992]. But only a relatively small number of empirical studies have been conducted and out of these very few have any statistical analysis of water marketing. The specific objective is to develop three essays that examine the differing mechanisms of water marketing or water reallocation among users. Essay 1 will examine the surface water spot water transactions along the Rio Grande. Statistical analysis along with on site interviews will be used to reveal what determines spot market prices and why price differentials between users exists. Essay 2, using a modified case study approach, will examine underground water transactions made by West Texas municipalities. The purchase of irrigated farmland by municipalities to increase supply is becoming a common practice as limited surface water is already committed. Essay 3 will examine critically the purpose, structure, and operation ofthe Texas Water Bank (TWB) which was created to facilitate water marketing on a statewide basis.Item Criteria and techniques for estimating optimum recreational capacity at water resources projects(Texas Tech University, 1959-05) Porter, Kenneth R.Participation in outdoor recreation is increasing in both the public and private sectors, and administrators of both realize the necessity for determining the optimum capacity of recreational areas. At the present, methods for evaluating capacity are divergent in terminology and use. Yet the objectives are the same: development of a planning and administrative tool for the best use of recreational resources. The basic principles for determining optimum capacity can be identified in these methods; however, they do not provide for a comprehensive approach to the problem. The purpose of this thesis is to employ these principles in developing a practical methodology for determining optimum capacity of water resource projects. The objective of this thesis is to develop methodologies which can assist agencies of the Federal Government, in particular the United States Army Corps of Engineers, in planning the development and utilization of these resources for recreational purposes.Item Underground water management in arid and semiarid regions: alternative strategies and measurement issues(Texas Tech University, 1994-12) Al-Hmoud, Rashid B.The objective of this study is to develop three essays related to underground water management in the arid and semiarid region of the United States (southwestem states). One essay discusses the socially optimal management policies of underground water resources as suggested by the economics theory. The second essay examines actual policies and management regimes in the southwestern states. DiflFerent management regimes are evaluated and their pros and cons are examined to arrive to the second-best solution. The second-best solution for the managerial problem is the one that comes very close to that suggested by the theory, and is the most successfiil in maximizing social welfare. A key variable for underground water policy-makers is the value of the resource in its natural place. Sufificient knowledge of underground water values is essential for underground water authorities, who direct their eflForts to manage the use of the resource and ensure that underground water is being used efficiently. A scarce resource, such as underground water, should be used efficiently, and the provision of the resource should be based on the values that it generates when utilized. A scarce resource should be used at its highest valued uses. Underground water is used in its highest valued uses when water users are confronted with its tme value. The last essay introduces techniques to estimate the value of underground water, and it estimates values for underground water in the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. I, which is located in the State of Texas.Item Water as a municipal growth limiting factor: perceptions of the growth coalition compared with other civic leaders in arid southwestern cities(Texas Tech University, 1998-12) Hainze, Thomas WilliamThis research considers a natural resource that may be a limiting factor to municipal growth and the municipal growth machine members attitudes toward that resource. Though several studies of the growth machine are available, little attention has been paid to attitudes toward natural resources that might eventually cause a slowing or cessation of the growth that is important to its financial well being. The research was conducted through the use of mail surveys administered to two categories of respondents: (1) growth machine members (growth coalition), and (2) water experts. Research questions addressed include (1) whether the growth coalition opinion on growth and size differs from water experts, (2) whether the growth coalition agrees with water experts on the status of the water supply, and (3) whether the growth coalition agrees with water experts on types of solutions to water shortages best suited for their situation. In addition, the research considers whether the severity of the of shortage impacts the opinions of the growth coalition relative to water experts by comparing the opinions of the two respondent categories in two cities with projected water shortages, Albuquerque and El Paso with those held by the respondent categories in two cities with adequate water supplies, Amarillo and Lubbock.