Systems and Methods for Administering an Extraction Rights Market in a Groundwater Basin

Abstract

A water agency management platform provides an exchange for administering groundwater extraction rights in one or more trading-zones. The platform matches offers to trade utilization of groundwater extraction rights (GWRs), and intermediates transfers of the matched GWRs based one or more transfer rules.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . In a water agency management platform (WAMP), a method for providing an electronic exchange to administer groundwater extraction rights market, the method comprising:
 managing groundwater and surface-water resources in at least one trading-zone;   receiving a plurality of offers to trade an utilization of a groundwater extraction right (GWR), wherein the GWR is associated with the at least one trading zone;   matching at least two of the plurality of offers to trade the utilization of the GWR; and   intermediating the transfer of the GWR based on at least one transfer rule.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the groundwater resource includes at least one aquifer. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the boundaries of the at least one trading zone is based on a surface geographical trace of an underlying groundwater sub-basin. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one transfer rule disallows any GWR transfer from a specific groundwater extraction zone to a specific destination water consumption zone. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one transfer rule disallows any GWR transfer from a specific source zone regardless of the destination zone. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one transfer rule disallows any GWR transfer to a specific destination zone regardless of the source zone. 
     
     
         7 . A water agency management platform (WAMP) for providing an electronic exchange to administer groundwater extraction rights market, the WAMP configured to:
 manage groundwater and surface-water resources in at least one trading-zone;   receive a plurality of offers to trade an utilization of a groundwater extraction right (GWR), wherein the GWR is associated with the at least one trading zone;   match at least two of the plurality of offers to trade the utilization of the GWR; and   intermediate the transfer of the GWR based on at least one transfer rule.   
     
     
         8 . The WAMP of  claim 7 , wherein the groundwater resource includes at least one aquifer. 
     
     
         9 . The WAMP of  claim 7 , wherein the boundaries of the at least one trading zone is based on a surface geographical trace of an underlying groundwater sub-basin. 
     
     
         10 . The WAMP of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one transfer rule disallows any GWR transfer from a specific groundwater extraction zone to a specific destination water consumption zone. 
     
     
         11 . The WAMP of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one transfer rule disallows any GWR transfer from a specific source zone regardless of the destination zone. 
     
     
         12 . The WAMP of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one transfer rule disallows any GWR transfer to a specific destination zone regardless of the source zone.