Re my recent discussion of the of the concept of “beneficial use” in western water law, a friend attending a water conservation conference noted he’d run across the concept of “beneficial reduction”.
What, in legal terms, might that look like?
jfleck at inkstain
A few thoughts from John Fleck, a writer of journalism and other things, living in New Mexico
And then there’s the concept of “conservation as a beneficial use” – or is this one in the same with your friend’s concept of “beneficial reduction”? Either way, neither of these concepts should support the beneficial use of drowning gophers.
My personal favorite concept is irrigating crops until the insurance adjusters can get around to appraise the drought impacts on the 2-foot high, brown, crispy, earless stalks. Talk about a beneficial use!