Forecasting California’s Water Market
Climate Change and Reliability Investment California’s water market is defined by extremes. The State has the most variable and geographically concentrated precipitation patterns in the United States, but a limited ability to store or convey that water. These dynamics lead to spot-market prices that can spike dramatically during droughts and then collapse in a subsequent […]
WMI: Estimating Data Center Power Demand
New Analysis Predicts 170% Surge in Data Center Water Use by 2030 Amid AI Expansion Exponential growth in demand for data over the last decade has driven a corresponding increase in the need for data centers to store, process, and manage digital information. The current AI boom is expected to further accelerate demand for this […]
Water Market Insider: Beyond the Buzzword
BEYOND THE BUZZWORD: EVALUATING CORPORATE WATER STEWARDSHIP PRACTICES & THEIR IMPACT CORPORATE WATER STEWARDSHIP SOUNDS GREAT, BUT WHAT DOES IT ACTUALLY MEAN?There is a growing interest in corporate water stewardship as part of broader corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities and to meet emerging sustainability reporting requirements in corporate financial reporting. Water stewardship often […]
The Ogallala Aquifer: Market Activity Around a Finite Resource
The Ogallala Aquifer is the largest aquifer within the United States, underlying a total of 111.8 million acres and spanning eight states. It is the source for 40% of all groundwater used for irrigation within the United States and supports the production of nearly $35 billion in agricultural products each year. Some regions of the […]
Water Market Insider: 2023 SUMMER ASSOCIATE RESEARCH RECAP
WestWater Research welcomed five Summer Associates to join us last summer as part of our annual internship program. This program provides an opportunity to conduct water market research, assist with client projects, and to conduct independent research on contemporary topics in water economics. In 2023, our Summer Associates tackled several interesting research projects that help […]
Hydrogen Production: A New Player in Western Water Markets
Hydrogen, as an energy source and clean transportation fuel, has attracted significant attention from private investment and federal funding in recent years to decarbonize energy production. An often-overlooked aspect of hydrogen production is the large volume of water required to generate the fuel. Hydrogen production requires constant water as a feedstock for production and as […]
Market Overview & Future Outlook
Responses to Economic Trends, Regulatory Changes, and Variable Climate and Hydrologic Conditions There are over 25 established and emerging regional water markets across the Western United States that developed in response to new water demands, regulatory changes, ongoing scarcity concerns, and other factors. Each regional water market has distinct market drivers that motivate people to trade […]
A down payment on stability for the Colorado River Basin
The Colorado River Basin has garnered necessary media attention over this past year as water storage levels in Lakes Powell and Mead decline to record lows. As unprecedented drought conditions persist (and are predicted to stay), the basin’s insurance pools, in the form of reservoir storage, are disappearing. The river basin has been stuck in […]
Growing Water Demand, Drought and Increasing Water Development Costs
Why Texas Needs a More Robust Surface Water Market Outside of the Lower Rio Grande, the market for surface water rights in Texas has experienced limited growth in recent years. However, a number of the dynamics that have driven an expansion in water right trading in other states are present in Texas. This Water Market […]
Competition and Creativity Fuel a Robust Colorado Water Market
The Colorado Water Market is a Critical Component of Residential Development Like many Western states, Colorado is growing and home builders are struggling to keep up with demand. Annual permits for new housing construction have tripled since the end of the economic recession but home prices signal a continued housing shortage. Home prices in Colorado […]