Water rights

Water rights in the United States

Rare Context lists 800 water rights in the United States, with 137,192,379 acre-ft/year of face-value volume between them, leaving out 238 storage and power rights. The largest is Solano County municipal and irrigation right A014443 (9,004,510 acre-ft/year).

By region

Largest water rights

Sorted by face-value volume.

Water rightRegionHolderFace-value volume
Solano County municipal and irrigation right A014443CaliforniaCalif Dept of Water Resources9,004,510 acre-ft/year
Rock Slough municipal and irrigation right A005626CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation7,998,004 acre-ft/year
Contra Costa County municipal and industrial right A009364CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation7,818,798 acre-ft/year
Colorado River irrigation and domestic right A007482CaliforniaImperial Irrigation District7,239,775 acre-ft/year
Contra Costa County municipal and irrigation right A013370CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation5,347,832 acre-ft/year
San Joaquin River municipal and irrigation right A005638CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation3,917,478 acre-ft/year
San Joaquin County municipal and irrigation right A005628CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation3,349,944 acre-ft/year
Contra Costa County irrigation and domestic right A015375CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation3,030,762 acre-ft/year
Old River municipal and irrigation right A009368CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation2,895,910 acre-ft/year
Pine Flat Dam irrigation and domestic right S028457CaliforniaKings River Water Association2,808,912 acre-ft/year
Kings River West of Highway 99 irrigation right A000360CaliforniaKings River Water Association2,786,000 acre-ft/year
Kern County municipal and irrigation right A031677CaliforniaKern County Water Agency2,279,000 acre-ft/year
Merced County municipal and irrigation right A000234CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation2,124,487 acre-ft/year
San Joaquin River municipal and irrigation right A001465CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation2,124,487 acre-ft/year
California Aqueduct water right A032815CaliforniaSemitropic Water Storage District1,600,000 acre-ft/year
Old River municipal and irrigation right A014445ACaliforniaCalif Dept of Water Resources1,575,212 acre-ft/year
Stone Corral Creek municipal and irrigation right A025517X01CaliforniaSites Project Authority1,500,000 acre-ft/year
Colorado River irrigation and domestic right A007483CaliforniaCoachella Valley Water District1,447,955 acre-ft/year
Contra Costa County municipal and irrigation right A019304CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation1,420,000 acre-ft/year
Old River municipal and irrigation right A005630CaliforniaCalif Dept of Water Resources1,393,569 acre-ft/year
Water right S029247 (Statement of Div and Use)CaliforniaCressey River LLC1,385,000 acre-ft/year
Contra Costa County municipal and irrigation right A017376CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation1,335,371 acre-ft/year
Yuba River irrigation and industrial right A005632CaliforniaYuba County Water Agency1,159,000 acre-ft/year
Sacramento County municipal and irrigation right A017512CaliforniaCalif Dept of Water Resources1,100,000 acre-ft/year
Merced River irrigation right S004718CaliforniaMerced Irrigation District1,086,600 acre-ft/year
Colorado River irrigation and domestic right A009280CaliforniaPalo Verde Irrigation District1,085,966 acre-ft/year
Contra Costa County municipal and irrigation right A017374CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation1,085,966 acre-ft/year
Colorado River municipal and domestic right A006406CaliforniaThe Metropolitan Water District of Southern California1,085,950 acre-ft/year
Stanislaus County irrigation and recreation right A014127CaliforniaTurlock I D & Modesto I D1,046,800 acre-ft/year
Rock Slough municipal and industrial right A009363CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation1,033,978 acre-ft/year
Kings River municipal and irrigation right A032810CaliforniaConsolidated Irrigation District1,000,000 acre-ft/year
Merced County municipal and irrigation right A015764CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation1,000,000 acre-ft/year
Stanislaus River municipal and irrigation right A014858BCaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation1,000,000 acre-ft/year
Contra Costa County municipal and irrigation right A014858ACaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation980,000 acre-ft/year
Sacramento River irrigation right S007367CaliforniaGlenn-Colusa Irrigation District977,940 acre-ft/year
Sacramento County municipal right A012622CaliforniaCity of Sacramento966,175 acre-ft/year
Tulare Lake irrigation and domestic right A015231CaliforniaKings River Water Association960,700 acre-ft/year
Putah Creek municipal and irrigation right A011199CaliforniaSolano County Water Agency948,337 acre-ft/year
Kings River irrigation and domestic right A005640CaliforniaKings River Water Association913,412 acre-ft/year
Cross Creek irrigation right S013186CaliforniaCorcoran Irrigation Co905,500 acre-ft/year
North Fork American River municipal and irrigation right A018085CaliforniaPlacer County Water Agency839,438 acre-ft/year
San Joaquin River municipal and irrigation right A031153CaliforniaFriant Water Users Authority750,000 acre-ft/year
Feather River irrigation right S000480CaliforniaJoint Water Districts Board724,400 acre-ft/year
Kern River irrigation right S004666CaliforniaBuena Vista Water Storage District724,400 acre-ft/year
Tuolumne River irrigation right A009997CaliforniaTurlock I D & Modesto I D721,201 acre-ft/year
Kern County irrigation right A031675CaliforniaBuena Vista Water Storage District700,000 acre-ft/year
San Joaquin County municipal and irrigation right A016767CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation700,000 acre-ft/year
Mendota Pool irrigation and industrial right S000477CaliforniaCentral Calif Irrigation District688,180 acre-ft/year
San Joaquin County municipal and industrial right A013371CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation680,435 acre-ft/year
Stanislaus River irrigation right S004683CaliforniaOakdale Irrigation District657,755 acre-ft/year
Yuba County municipal and irrigation right A014113CaliforniaNorth Yuba Water District624,084 acre-ft/year
Merced County irrigation and domestic right A016186CaliforniaMerced Irrigation District605,000 acre-ft/year
Mokelumne River municipal and irrigation right A029835CaliforniaMokelumne River Water & Power Authority544,000 acre-ft/year
Kern River irrigation right S002124CaliforniaNorth Kern Water Storage District543,300 acre-ft/year
Mokelumne River water right S020476CaliforniaEast Bay Municipal Utility District540,765 acre-ft/year
Mokelumne River water right S020477CaliforniaEast Bay Municipal Utility District537,143 acre-ft/year
Middle Yuba River irrigation and industrial right A015574CaliforniaYuba County Water Agency514,000 acre-ft/year
Kern County municipal and irrigation right A031673CaliforniaNorth Kern Water Storage District500,000 acre-ft/year
Kern River municipal and irrigation right A031676CaliforniaKern Water Bank Authority500,000 acre-ft/year
Tuolumne River irrigation right A006711CaliforniaTurlock I D & Modesto I D480,800 acre-ft/year
Imperial County municipal and irrigation right A030661CaliforniaThe Metropolitan Water District of Southern California475,000 acre-ft/year
North Fork American River municipal and irrigation right A018087CaliforniaPlacer County Water Agency451,592 acre-ft/year
Sacramento County municipal right A012321CaliforniaCity of Sacramento443,479 acre-ft/year
Mokelumne River municipal right A013156CaliforniaEast Bay Municipal Utility District434,962 acre-ft/year
Feather River irrigation and wildlife right S000925CaliforniaWestern Canal Water District434,640 acre-ft/year
New River municipal and irrigation right A031431CaliforniaThe Metropolitan Water District of Southern California433,400 acre-ft/year
Cache Creek municipal and irrigation right A015975CaliforniaYolo County F C and W C District431,000 acre-ft/year
North Fork Cache Creek municipal and irrigation right A011389CaliforniaYolo County F C and W C District431,000 acre-ft/year
Contra Costa County municipal and industrial right A015374CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation417,193 acre-ft/year
Deadman Creek municipal and irrigation right A033098CaliforniaMerced Irrigation District400,000 acre-ft/year
Kern River irrigation right S002123CaliforniaKern Delta Water District398,420 acre-ft/year
Calaveras River municipal and irrigation right A018812CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation397,199 acre-ft/year
Russian River municipal and industrial right A019351CaliforniaSonoma County Water Agency375,316 acre-ft/year
Capehorn Creek water right S005003CaliforniaCalifornia Department of Fish and Wildlife362,200 acre-ft/year
Lake Yosemite irrigation right S004719CaliforniaMerced Irrigation District362,200 acre-ft/year
Lower Kaweah River irrigation right S003161CaliforniaConsolidated Peoples Ditch Company362,200 acre-ft/year
Santa Ana River municipal and industrial right A031174ACaliforniaOrange County Water District362,000 acre-ft/year
Nacimiento River municipal and irrigation right A016124CaliforniaMonterey County Water Resources Agency350,000 acre-ft/year
Santa Ynez River irrigation and domestic right A011331CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation347,398 acre-ft/year
Merced County municipal and irrigation right A001224CaliforniaMerced Irrigation District345,440 acre-ft/year
Cache Creek irrigation right S000609CaliforniaYolo County F C and W C District339,744 acre-ft/year
Tuolumne River irrigation right A001233CaliforniaTurlock I D & Modesto I D325,000 acre-ft/year
Mokelumne River municipal and recreation right A004228CaliforniaEast Bay Municipal Utility District316,250 acre-ft/year
South Yuba River irrigation and domestic right S013928CaliforniaNevada Irrigation District311,492 acre-ft/year
Santa Ynez River municipal and industrial right A011332CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation311,199 acre-ft/year
McCloud River water right S017294CaliforniaWyntoon Timberlands LLC302,437 acre-ft/year
Santa ANA River municipal and irrigation right S009758CaliforniaOrange County Water District298,152 acre-ft/year
Sheepcamp Creek water right S028170CaliforniaSierra Pacific Industries297,000 acre-ft/year
Tree Slough irrigation right S016924CaliforniaCalifornia Department of Fish and Wildlife295,875 acre-ft/year
Water right S004911 (Statement of Div and Use)CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation293,382 acre-ft/year
Lower Kaweah River irrigation right S002130CaliforniaTulare Irrigation District289,760 acre-ft/year
Sacramento River irrigation right S020716CaliforniaReclamation District #108289,760 acre-ft/year
Whitewater River irrigation and domestic right A001122CaliforniaCoachella Valley Water District289,591 acre-ft/year
Calaveras River municipal and irrigation right A031534CaliforniaStockton East Water District288,000 acre-ft/year
Little Truckee River municipal and irrigation right A015673CaliforniaU S Bureau of Reclamation275,258 acre-ft/year
American River municipal right A012140CaliforniaCity of Sacramento271,740 acre-ft/year
Sacramento River irrigation right A000763CaliforniaReclamation District #108270,748 acre-ft/year
Salinas River irrigation right S018869CaliforniaRiver Oaks II, LLC264,406 acre-ft/year
Kern River irrigation right S002126CaliforniaCity of Bakersfield253,540 acre-ft/year
Yuba River irrigation and industrial right A015204CaliforniaYuba County Water Agency246,000 acre-ft/year

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