Utah Ranch Sacrifices Alfalfa for River's Sake in Push for Conservation Credits Ruby Ranch in south-central Utah enrolls two of its alfalfa fields in the state's Demand Management Program, voluntarily conserving water to build a credit reserve against future Colorado River cuts. The ranch's manager highlights how the program allows for field improvements and more efficient water use. Green River • Ranch manager Kent Nelson flipped open the cap on a water meter and pointed to the words 'EMPTY PIPE' on the screen. Chains normally connected to a pump pulling water from the Green River hung loose. Marc Stilson, the principal engineer for the Colorado River Authority, looked at the meter and checked the pump. But it didn't take much close examination to see that one of Ruby Ranch's nearby fields wasn't receiving water. It was shades of brown and tan, blending in with the surrounding sandstone while standing out against the neighboring bright green irrigated fields.Ruby Ranch Enrolls In Demand Management ProgramThis year, Ruby Ranch enrolled two alfalfa fields in Utah's Demand Management Program, which pays Colorado River water users to temporarily and voluntarily send water downstream. The ranch, owned by Noel and Carrie Vallejo from Pleasant Grove, sits at the confluence of the San Rafael River and the Green River, about an hour's drive south of the town of Green River.Utah is betting that voluntary conservation like this can help protect the state as the Colorado River shrinks and the seven states that depend on it fight over who should use less.'We want to develop a block of water in Powell with Utah's name on it, so if we have to do mandatory curtailment, that's the first block of water that we have to use to meet that demand,' Stilson said. Throughout the year, Stilson checks on each enrolled project to verify water is being conserved.Lower Basin States Question Conservation Legitimacy'Lower Basin states want to make sure we're being legitimate,' Stilson said as he looked at Ruby Ranch's shut-off irrigation pump. Those states - Arizona, California and Nevada - and Upper Basin states - Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming - have been in tense negotiations about how to share the diminishing Colorado River.With no deal reached, the Bureau of Reclamation moved forward with a plan that requires the Lower Basin to conserve 1.25 million acre-feet of water next year, with steeper cuts possible in the future. The plan includes no mandatory cuts in the Upper Basin, just a goal to conserve 200,000 acre-feet per year. Given the Upper Basin's limited conservation in the past, that's a 'very ambitious goal,' said Eric Kuhn, retired manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District.The burden of conservation has been a major sticking point among the states: if the Lower Basin has to take cuts, those states want the Upper Basin to commit to measurable conservation. But Utah and its neighbors argue that Mother Nature already forces shortages in dry years. If states can't agree, the Lower Basin could sue the Upper Basin over the Colorado River Compact in an attempt to force cuts to water use. So Utah is preparing.By paying water users to temporarily send water downstream, it's hoping to bank credit to pay for future cuts. At Ruby Ranch, an estimated 633 acre-feet of water that alfalfa would normally drink up across 200 acres has remained in the Green River, flowing past the western edge of the ranch and continuing 100 miles south to Canyonlands National Park, where it joins the Colorado River before reaching Lake Powell.Demand Management Program Becomes Permanent InitiativeThe state uses satellite data to track the total conservation amount and gauges that measure the actual 'wet water' in the river system, Stilson said. Utah launched the Demand Management Program as a pilot two years ago with state funds. Recently, the federal government awarded Utah and other Upper Division states $100 million for water conservation efforts. So the authority has removed 'pilot' from the program's name and plans to continue it into the future.Other Upper Basin states are taking their own approach. New Mexico has a Strategic Water Reserve Program, which includes leasing 20,000 acre-feet of water per year from the Jicarilla Apache Nation. Wyoming created a program similar to Utah's earlier this year, and Colorado just approved a near-term water contribution program in mid-September. Upper Basin states told the Interior Department that they should receive credit for conserved water in a letter on Sept. 11.Upper Basin States Seek Water Conservation Credit'We have not, as yet, heard yay or nay on that,' Amy Haas, executive director of the authority, told The Tribune. 'That is a big deal for us in Utah. ... Sending conserved water to Lake Powell only to increase releases from Glen Canyon Dam is not something that we would support.We want this water to be neutral, and we want to get credit for it.' Utah will also seek retroactive credit for water conserved over the past two years. Building up a bank of water in Lake Powell is just one goal of Utah's conservation program, though, Stilson said. Helping agricultural producers improve their operations and use water more efficiently is another priority. The program has been a success in that regard, Nelson said.'It's given us the opportunity to improve the fields that we've taken out,' he said. 'Plus, in the future, I can see it making us be wiser about our water use. '