Water Heritage Trust
The Water Heritage Trust is a program of the Resource Renewal Institute, a nonprofit environmental policy institute founded in 1985 by Huey Johnson, former California Resources Secretary and founder of the Trust for Public Land. Water Heritage Trust intends to do for water what land trusts have done for open space-preserve it to ensure the protection of endangered fish and wildlife, and to preserve the future quality of life for all citizens.
Toward this end, our work for 2008-2009 includes the following policy areas:
- Changing the tax code to recognize a charitable deduction for donations in perpetuity of senior water rights for instream flow. This would mirror the well-established system of land-based conservation easements. As a federal tax change, this would have import around the country.
- Changing California water policy to require groundwater monitoring as a condition of a surface water appropriation permits and to require permits for on-site groundwater extraction. This recognizes the hydrological connection of surface- and ground water as one system. Conjunctive management must include a regulation of groundwater use.
- Instituting a California severance tax on water use. Many European countries impose an 'abstraction' tax on water use. Most U.S. states utilize a severance tax for mineral extraction, as does the nation in its royalty system for oil and gas.
The Resource Renewal Institute (RRI) invests approximately 20 percent of its resources into developing new ideas that will be useful to public institutions. For example, RRI conceived of, founded, and launched the Grand Canyon Trust, now a successful Arizona-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the majesty and grandeur of the Grand Canyon.
