Putting Trust in Voluntary Demand Management: How and Why Wyoming Should Encourage the Development of a Water Trust

The development of water trusts in the American West has followed a similar concept to the land trust model of conservation. Climate change has raised concerns among Colorado River Basin states about their water rights being curtailed. A key avoidance measure taken by states has been to focus on demand management, reducing the amount of water diverted from the river system through voluntary water transactions. While governments have made some investments in water conservation, more money is needed to keep adapting to a changing climate; water trusts can provide such money through investment from private sources. But the legal regime in Wyoming does not support the development of a water trust. Wyoming should change its laws regarding instream flows, conservation incentives, and water markets to create a friendlier environment for a water trust.