Institutions and conjunctive water management among three western states

Conjunctive w ater management involves the coordinated use of ground and surface w ater supplies. It aim s to enhance overall w ater supplies and guard against drought. In this article, w e consider how water governance institutions affect the implementation of conjunctive management. To explain this connection, w e present data from a stu d y of conjunctive management in A rizona, California, and Colorado. We discuss how the institutional arrangements across these three states im pact the transaction costs and other factors associated w ith conjunctive management and suggest how different institutional arrangements facilitate or impede conjunctive management.