What is a water bank?
	A water bank is a mechanism designed to facilitate the transfer of water use entitlements from one location or use to another. A water bank functions like an intermediary, or broker, similar in some ways to a financial bank that acts as a broker or clearinghouse between savers and borrowers. In the case of water banks -- and unlike some brokers -- there is some kind of public sanction for its activities. A valid water use entitlement can be "deposited" with the waterbank, making it available for withdrawal by others for a fee. If the deposit is withdrawn from the water bank, the depositer is paid an amount corresponding to what the renter paid (less some fee for the services provided by the water bank). The incentive to deposit is in the hope of earning more from the renter than from using the water themself. Similarly, the incentive for the renter is in finding water at a low enough cost to make the rental attractive. The bank or facilitator serves an important role, determining which water rights can be banked, and the amount of water corresponding to a given water right entitlement. It also decides who can rent, and establishes the process and terms for these agreements. In addition to this oversight, water transfers are generally also regulated by state laws. The temporary transfer of water among irrigators within an irrigation district is nothing new. What distinguishes recent developments in this area from traditional forms is the transfer to uses outside an irrigation district, or for uses other than irrigation. ~