Water rights resources
The official sources behind every number and every deal on this site: your state water agency, the federal bodies that measure and deliver water, and the indices where it gets priced. Every link is checked, and points to a primary source.
What is inside
- State agencies
- 17 western
- Federal agencies
- Reclamation, USGS, USDA
- Price index
- Nasdaq NQH2O
- Every link
- Verified primary source
Who administers water rights, state by state
Every western state runs water rights through one office. These are the official agencies, linked directly. Open your state's page for the legal path and the market, or go straight to the agency.
Federal agencies
The federal bodies that build, deliver, measure, and pay for water across the West. Reclamation is the landlord of the interior West; USGS is the meter.
Owns and operates the major western dams and delivery projects (CBT, Central Valley, Colorado River). Sets contract terms and runs conservation and forbearance payment programs.
The national science and data arm for water: streamflow, groundwater levels, and water-use estimates that underpin every valuation.
Real-time and historical gauge data by site. The record of what a stream actually carries, which is what reliability is measured against.
Irrigation and farm-and-ranch irrigation survey data: acreage, application rates, and water costs that frame agricultural demand.
Market data & price indices
Where water actually gets priced in the open. These are the tickers and trackers the counterparties watch, so you should too.
The benchmark spot index for California surface water and the four adjudicated groundwater basins. The closest thing water has to a public price ticker.
Nonpartisan explainers on western water law, markets, and infrastructure. A reliable first stop for the doctrine behind a deal.
The inter-state government body coordinating western water policy. Maintains the authoritative directory of every state water agency.
A curated cross-reference of state agencies and major districts, useful when a right spans jurisdictions.
Rivers, compacts & the law
The legal and hydrologic frame that decides what your right can do and where it can go.
Designated reaches carry federal reserved and instream requirements that can shape what a nearby right may be leased for.
The national water-use dataset by sector and state: who withdraws what, the demand-side backbone of the market.
We only publish an outbound link we have checked against the agency's live site or an authoritative government directory, the same standard we hold for every number. If a source moves or goes dark, we repoint or remove it. See our methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Who administers water rights in my state?
Each western state has one office that administers water rights, usually a state engineer or a division of water resources. The directory below links every one of the 17 western state agencies directly. Your right is recorded and any lease is approved through that office.
Where can I check a water right or streamflow myself?
Most state agencies publish an online water-rights search, and the USGS National Water Information System publishes real-time and historical streamflow by gauge. Both are linked here. They are the same records a buyer or broker will pull on you.
Is there a public price for water?
The closest public benchmark is the Nasdaq Veles California Water Index (NQH2O), which tracks California spot water. Most leases are private and negotiated, which is why a sourced valuation matters, but the index is a real public reference point.
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