Water Resource Management
Working Papers
Warming and Snow Loss Threaten the Economic Viability of Irrigated Agriculture
Beatrice L. Gordon, Joey Blumberg, Dale T. Manning, Bryan Leonard, Gabrielle F.S. Boisramé, Christine Albano, Rosemary W.H. Carroll
Revisions Requested, Nature Communications
Mind the Gap: Improving Water Markets with Field-Level Remote Sensing
Katherine Wright, Andrew Ayres, Bryan Leonard
Under Review
Measuring Agricultural Water Depletion from Space: Does the Method Matter?
Jiaxin Yin, Leslie Sanchez, Conner Harwood, Eric Edwards, Bryan Leonard, Will Rafey, Andrew Ayres, Katherine Wright
Scaling Markets to Restore Great Salt Lake
Eric Edwards, Brigham Daniels, Billy Ferguson, Dustin Garrick, Conner Harwood, Paul Milgrom, Sarah Null, Barton Thompson Jr., Andrew Vogt, Bryan Leonard
Under Review
Published & Accepted Articles
Water is the True Wealth in a Dry Land: Prior Appropriation and the Settlement of the Arid West
Bryan Leonard, Steven M. Smith
Journal of Historical Political Economy, 2025
The Essential Role of Local Context in Shaping Risk and Risk Reduction Strategies for Snowmelt-Dependent Irrigated Agriculture
Beatrice Gordon, Gabrielle F.S. Boisramé, Rosemary W.H. Carroll, Newsha K. Ajami, Bryan Leonard, Christine Albano, Naoki Mizukami, Manuel A. Andrade, Elizabeth Koebele, Mike Taylor, Adrian A. Harpold
Earth’s Future, 2024
Media Coverage (8)
- ScienceDaily: “Western Agricultural Communities Need Water Conservation Strategies”
- Phys.org: “Western Agricultural Communities Need Water Conservation Strategies”
- DRI Press Release
- Smart Water Magazine
- Innovation News Network
- Eurasia Review
- Environmental News Network
- MultiSector Dynamics: Research highlight
Paper Water, Wet Water, and the Recognition of Indigenous Property Rights
Leslie Sanchez, Eric Edwards, Bryan Leonard
Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, 2023
Media Coverage (8)
- Grist: “Tribes Could Lease Their Water to Dry States. Why Is It So Hard?”
- Hoover Institution: “Federal Barriers Limit Native American Benefits From Water Right Settlements”
- NC State News: “Study: Tribal Water Rights Underutilized in U.S. West”
- NC State Audio Abstract Podcast: “Water Rights”
- WaterWorld: “Tribal Water Rights Underutilized in U.S. West”
- PERC
- Mercatus Center
- NC State CALS Extension: “Tribal Water Rights Play an Important Role”
The Economics of Indigenous Water Claim Settlements in the American West
Leslie Sanchez, Eric Edwards, Bryan Leonard
Environmental Research Letters, 2020
Media Coverage (8)
- Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis: “Beyond ‘Paper’ Water: Complexities of Leveraging Tribal Water Rights”
- Reason: “One Small Step for Native American Water Rights”
- PERC: “How Federal Laws Undermine Native American Water Rights”
- PERC: “Empowering Tribes Can Help Address the Drought Plaguing the West”
- PERC: “Addressing Institutional Barriers to Native American Water Marketing”
- The ALI Adviser: “One Small Step for Native American Water Rights”
- Native Waters on Arid Lands: “Researcher Develops Database of Tribal Water Settlements”
- NC State CENREP: “Challenges of Adjudicating Native American Water Rights”
Agricultural Water Governance in the Desert: Shifting Risks in Central Arizona
Abigail M. York, Hallie Eakin, Julia C. Bausch, Skaidra Smith-Heisters, John M. Anderies, Rimjhim Aggarwal, Bryan Leonard, Katherine Wright
Water Alternatives, 2020
Expanding Water Markets in the Western United States: Barriers and Lessons from Other Natural Resource Markets
Bryan Leonard, Christopher Costello, Gary D. Libecap
Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 13(1): 43, 2019
Collective Action by Contract: Prior Appropriation and the Development of Irrigation in the Western United States
Bryan Leonard, Gary D. Libecap
Journal of Law and Economics, 2019 | NBER WP #22185
Canals, Climate, and Corruption: The Provisioning of Public Infrastructure under Uncertainty
Sechindra Vallury, Bryan Leonard
Economics and Politics, 2021