Agricultural Irrigation Water Leases
Rent your irrigation water to another grower for a season or a term, and keep the right.
What a well-papered lease covers
- Defined term and quantity in acre feet, with delivery point spelled out
- State approval or bank filing so the lease counts as beneficial use
- Priority date and ownership stay with you
- Payment terms per acre foot, up front or per season
- Dry-year allocation language when supply is curtailed
- Return conditions at the end of the term
An agricultural irrigation lease rents the use of your water right to another farmer or rancher for a defined term, usually a season to a few years, while you keep ownership and the priority datePriority dateThe date a water right was established, which sets its place in line during shortage. The earlier the date, the more reliable, and more valuable, the right.. It is the most common water transaction in the West and the simplest to price, because both sides think in dollars per acre footAcre foot (AF)The standard unit of western water: 325,851 gallons, the volume covering one acre of land one foot deep. Equal to 43,560 cubic feet or about 7,758 oilfield barrels. per season.
The mechanics vary by state: in Idaho the Water Supply Bank posts a rate and handles the paperwork, in Colorado ditch and reservoir company shares rent inside the system, and in permit states the lease rides on a temporary change approval. In every version, a properly approved lease counts as beneficial useBeneficial useThe legally recognized purpose (irrigation, municipal, industrial, instream flow) that both justifies and limits a water right. You hold what you beneficially use, not what the paper says., which means leasing protects the right that sitting idle can put at risk.
Owners leave money on the table in two ways: renting at the neighborly rate when municipal or industrial users in the basin would pay a multiple, and handshake deals that never get state approval and quietly endanger the right. A valuation before you commit fixes both.
Ideal for
- Owners fallowing ground, rotating crops, or retiring from irrigation
- Heirs holding inherited irrigation rights they no longer farm
- Operators with surplus supply in wet years
- Anyone whose right risks sitting unused this season
From "what do I even have?" to a priced asset
Most owners negotiate water deals exactly once in their lives, against counterparties who do it every week. The valuation levels that field before the first phone call.
- 01Day 0
Tell us what you hold
A short intake: the right, shares, or land, and the state it sits in. No documents required to start.
- 02Days 1-3
Records check + valuation
We confirm the right in state records and bracket its value against sourced comparables and basin demand.
- 03Same week
See your options
The demand map for your water: bank rates, lease structures, and the premium counterparties worth approaching.
- 04Your call
Move when ready
We connect you with the vetted broker, program, or counterparty that fits, or you take the numbers and act on your own.
Other lease types
Irrigation Leases: FAQ
How much does irrigation water lease for?
It varies enormously by basin. Two sourced anchors: the Idaho Water Supply Bank posts $33 per acre foot for irrigation rentals as of 2025, while irrigation and municipal leases on the Colorado Front Range pay around $200 per acre foot per year. The spread between those numbers is exactly why a basin-specific valuation matters before you sign anything.
Does leasing my water protect it from forfeiture?
Generally yes, when the lease is approved through the proper state channel. Approved leases are treated as beneficial use of the right, and several states, including Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, give explicit statutory protection while a right is in a bank, trust, or instream lease. An unapproved handshake rental gives you none of that protection.
Can I lease only part of my water right?
In most states, yes. Partial leases, split-season arrangements where you irrigate early and lease the late-season water, and percentage deals are all common. The state filing just needs to describe the portion being leased.
Find out what your water is worth before anyone else tells you.
Tell us what you hold. We bracket its value against sourced comparables and real demand in your basin, then point you at the strongest path: lease, bank, or sell. Confidential, and yours to act on however you like.
- A defensible range, anchored to sourced comparables
- The demand map for your basin: who would pay and why
- Reply within one business day, confidential throughout