The Methow Watershed Council will host a panel discussion on the economics of water economics at the Winthrop Library on Monday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m., addressing the question: what is our water worth, and why?
The presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer session.
Panel members are:
• Joe Cook, Professor in the School of Economic Sciences at Washington State University, will discuss “How Markets Can Address Water Needs,” providing an overview of the growing scarcity of water in the West, the economic logic of using markets for water rights in reducing the damage from drought, and results from a 2020 survey of irrigators in four basins, including the Methow.
• Kelsey Collins, Trust, Transfers, and Water Banking Specialist for the sate Department or Ecology’s Water Resources Program, will offer a “Brief History of Water Rights and Water Banking.
• Tyson D. Carlson, a principal hydrogeologist with Aspect Consulting will talk about “The Significance of Water Right Attributes.” Carlson has completed projects for public, private, and NGOs in support of numerous water right assessments and acquisitions.
• Daniel R. Haller, a principal water resources engineer at Aspect Consulting, will discuss “Water appraisals: how do they work?” He spent more than a decade with the Department of Ecology where he worked on hundreds of water rights and managed multi-million-dollar grant projects for the Office of Columbia River.
Go to www.methowwatershed.com for more information including how to sign up for a Zoom version of the meeting; or email methowwatershed@gmail.com.
