What We Do
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Landowners are the heartbeat of the OLWC and who we primarily serve. We negotiate conservation easements and water right lease agreements on their behalf to ensure they receive fair compensation, retain land ownership, and maintain a domestic water supply while retiring their irrigation wells and transition from irrigated farm and ranchland to dryland cropping, pastureland or grazing. This helps preserve the agricultural heritage of our communities while meeting our long-term water supply needs. We do this through voluntary landowner participation - emphasizing a local, landowner-driven model that operates with values of trust, transparency, flexibility, and financial certainty.
How It Works
Phase 1
is a trial period and involves water lease agreements where landowners receive annual compensation for voluntarily retiring their irrigation wells for a three-year term.
Phase 2
involves negotiating voluntary conservation easements that retire a landowner’s irrigation water in perpetuity (permanently), which guarantees a long-term funding source.
OLWC and our partners support landowners with technical resources and planning assistance. In most cases, the legal services, appraisals, and due diligence related to the conservation easement transactions are also covered.
The OLWC Model
Phase 1
Water Right Lease Agreements
3 Year Term
Irrigation wells are metered and groundwater value is appraised based on fair market data and future anticipated land use (dryland cropping, pastureland or grazing)
Landowners are compensated annually based on appraised groundwater value
Irrigation wells are voluntarily retired for 3-year lease term, with optional 1-year extensions as needed
Water use during the lease limited solely to livestock watering, household supply, and well maintenance
Phase 2
Groundwater Conservation Easements
In Perpetuity
100% of the groundwater and associated water rights remain with the landowner. Of that, 80% is permanently retired to protect the aquifer, while the landowner retains 20%
Landowners are compensated one time based on appraised conservation easement value
Irrigation wells are voluntarily retired in perpetuity
Water use during conservation easement limited to livestock watering and household supply; up to 20% of groundwater remains unused or may be leased for municipal use
Our Values
Trust & Transparency
We know trust is earned. That’s why we work transparently as we seek to build relationships with landowners over time.
We recognize that conservation easements and water right lease agreements can be complicated, so we offer the legal and professional support necessary to handle financial transactions openly and honestly.
Through voluntary landowner participation, we emphasize a local, landowner-driven model that is data-driven and communicated every step of the way.
Financial Certainty
As landowners face growing pressures, it’s more important than ever to give them financial certainty over time. That means ensuring they are fairly and fully compensated if they choose to retire their irrigation wells and move from irrigated farm and ranchland to dryland cropping, pastureland or grazing.
In exchange for retiring their irrigation wells, landowners receive annual payouts that factor in profits from previous farm sales - all while retaining ownership of their land and maintaining a baseline water supply for household or livestock uses.
Flexibility
A unique aspect of our work is giving landowners the ability to start small and take it one step at a time. Phase 1 involves a three-year trial period for water rights lease agreements. Phase 2 involves voluntary conservation easement agreements that retire irrigation water in perpetuity, guaranteeing landowners a long-term funding source.
After Phase 1, a landowner can reassess without committing themselves to anything permanently, and if they decide the relationship is not for them, they can simply opt-out. We don’t believe in hard-sell, take-it-or-leave-it approaches - it’s not who we are or how we work.
OUR PROGRESS
10 participating landowners
56 wells metered & retired
12.05 billion gallons saved
11,120 acres transistioned to non-irrigated uses
$28 million invested