Author Archives: Rodney T. Smith

About Rodney T. Smith

Rodney T. Smith, Ph.D., President of Stratecon Inc.—an economics and strategic planning consulting firm—advises public and private sector water users on the acquisition, sale and leasing of water rights and water supplies in the western U.S. He is routinely involved in economic valuation of water rights, water investments, and negotiation of water acquisition and transportation agreements and has served as an expert witness in the economic valuation of groundwater resources, disputes over the economic interpretation of water contracts, economics of water conservation and water use practices, and the socio-economic impacts of land fallowing. For more information, see www.stratwater.com.

¿Habla Espanol?: What Failure of Bay Delta Conservation Plan Means for Southern California

The Voice of San Diego ran a story today about the Cadiz Project that provides a “teachable moment” about the complexity of California water.  Would the Cadiz project benefit from failure of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (“BDCP”)?  The Voice says yes.  Professionals know that water is complex and the impact of a Bay Delta failure is no exception.  The big winner would be bi-national water projects, not Cadiz.   Continue reading →

Oklahoma Beats Texas in (Legal) Red River Rivalry

Riding a three-year football winning streak at the annual Red River Rivalry in Dallas, Oklahoma ran over Texas before the U.S. Supreme Court when an unanimous Court ruled that the Red River Compact does not pre-empt Oklahoma water law.  The decision in Tarrant Regional Water District v. Hermann follows a long-standing tradition of deference to state sovereignty.  The economic stakes were a Texan attempt to avoid the cost of water treatment. Continue reading →

IID-San Diego Transfer/QSA Opponents Strike Dry Hole in CA Litigation Lottery

On June 4th, Superior Court Judge Lloyd G. Connelly in California declared the “payout” on the decade-old litigation challenging the historic Imperial Irrigation District-San Diego County Water Authority water conservation and transfer agreement and related agreements including the Quantification Settlement Agreement (“QSA”).

Judicial scoring: transfer/QSA proponents, 100; transfer/QSA opponents, 0  Continue reading →

A Modest Proposal to Restructure California’s State Water Project

Contractors of California’s State Water Project (“SWP”) are negotiating renewal of their SWP contracts that expire in 2037.  Rather than business as usual, California has an once in a generation opportunity to restructure the SWP along economic principles that facilitate better resource utilization, resolve lingering disputes over SWP water supply and transportation, and yield California billions of dollars.  How?  Auction the SWP’s water rights and facilities.  There are many issues to discuss.  Let the dialogue begin. Continue reading →