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Senate advances 10-year water-banking pilot to curb 'buy-and-dry' transfers
Summary
The Utah Senate advanced Senate Bill 26, a 10-year voluntary, temporary, locally driven water-banking pilot intended to reduce permanent transfers of agricultural water rights to urban uses; the measure passed the Senate on a roll-call vote and will go to the House.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate on the fourth day of the 2020 session advanced Senate Bill 26, a 10-year water-banking pilot designed to enable voluntary, temporary transfers of water rights as an alternative to permanent "buy-and-dry" sales that proponents say harm rural economies.
Senator Jani Iwamoto, sponsor of SB26, told colleagues the program is "voluntary temporary and local" and emphasized the measure grew from more than 50 public meetings and town halls held across the state to gather input. She said the pilot builds on earlier work, including a one-time state appropriation of $400,000 and a matching $400,000 Bureau of Reclamation waterSMART grant…
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