Water Bank Leases
Deposit your right in a state-approved bank, get paid rent, keep the right protected.
A water bank is a state-sanctioned clearinghouse: owners deposit rights they are not using, users rent from the pool, and the bank handles approvals and paperwork. For an owner, it is the lowest-effort way to earn on unused water while the right stays legally protected.
Idaho runs the cleanest example. The Water Supply Bank posts a rental rate, $33 per acre foot for irrigation rentals beginning in 2025, pays the owner 90 percent of gross rent, and protects banked rights from forfeiture. Washington’s Trust Water Rights Program and its basin water banks, Utah’s 2020 Water Banking Act banks, and Kansas’s chartered central bank all follow the same logic with local rules.
The trade-off is price: a bank’s posted rate is a floor, not a ceiling. If your right is senior and sits near municipal, industrial, or mitigation demand, a negotiated lease can clear well above bank rates. The right move is knowing both numbers before you deposit.
Ideal for
- Owners in Idaho, Washington, Utah, Kansas, and other bank states
- Rights currently sitting unused and exposed to forfeiture rules
- Owners who want income without negotiating a private deal
- Estates and absentee owners needing a simple, safe default
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
Water Banks: FAQ
What does a water bank pay?
Idaho’s Water Supply Bank posts $33 per acre foot for irrigation rentals as of 2025, with 90 percent going to the owner. Other banks price by transaction or by basin: Washington mitigation banks, for example, sell credits at market rates that reflect development demand. The posted bank rate is your floor; a valuation tells you whether a negotiated lease beats it.
Is my right safe in a water bank?
That is the core feature. Time in a state-approved bank or trust is protected against forfeiture and relinquishment in the states that run these programs, including Idaho and Washington. You keep title and priority; the bank only administers the use.
Which states have water banks?
Idaho runs a statewide Water Supply Bank plus rental pools. Washington operates the Trust Water Rights Program and dozens of basin water banks. Utah authorized local banks under its 2020 Water Banking Act. Kansas chartered a central water bank, and California, Arizona, and Oregon run banking or storage-credit systems with similar effect.
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