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Same in the west slope of Colorado. So much water is used to grow alfalfa, in part because there is a “use it or lose it” water rights policy:

> Failure to apply a water right to beneficial use when water was available for a period of ten or more years results in a rebuttable presumption of abandonment.

This leads to huge amounts of wasted water and alfalfa growing.

https://dwr.colorado.gov/services/water-administration/water...

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Man this fact just points so heavily to a natural part of human nature. If we're given more than we need, but are threatened to lose some or all of it if we don't use it, we'll find ways to use it whether we need it or not. Seems like it's also human nature to make those threats.

> If we're given more than we need, but are threatened to lose some or all of it if we don't use it, we'll find ways to use it

Not really.. without stupid legislation we'd let it rot which in the case of water would be exactly what we'd want.

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