Kaiser spoke Tuesday, March 13 during the Water and Future of Kansas Conference in Manhattan. The conference, which is organized by the Kansas Center for Agriculture Resources and the Environment, included discussions on watershed management, water treatment costs, aquifer assessments and many other water conservation and quality issues.

Kaiser, a professor at Texas A&M University, identified four areas in which the recreational use of water has strong arguments for water rights: participation rates, economic value, social significance and environmental benefits.

According to a 1996 survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 76 percent of Americans – or approximately 171 million people – are involved in the recreational use of water. Nationally, 65 million people are involved with fishing, spending an estimated $626 million on fishing trips and equipment. The 364,000 anglers in Kansas contributed $180 million to that national total.

"When you look at the number of Americans involved with water-based recreational activities, the numbers are astounding," Kaiser said. "Recreation is big business, and the amount of money produced is phenomenal."

The total economic value of water used for recreational purposes is estimated at $101.2 billion, according to Kaiser. A large portion of that total comes from the 16.9 million boats owned nationally – 102,000 in Kansas – which total $25.6 billion spent nationally on boating equipment.

But, according to Kaiser, while numbers like these support the use of water for recreational purposes, one of the strongest arguments in this debate cannot be assigned a numerical value.

"Several studies have looked at the social value of recreational water-based activities," he said. "The recreational uses bring families together, help develop a sense of community and strengthen the sense of identity."

Additional social benefits Kaiser listed include improved quality of life, family bonding opportunities, stress reduction, personal growth and increased environmental awareness. The environment also benefits by recreational uses of water, through increased species diversity, more stable ecosystems, preservation of natural sites and maintained riparian habitats. Kaiser said what this all means is that the end is not in sight for the water allocation debate.

"The debate on using water for recreational purposes is strong, backed by both numbers, money and intangibles," Kaiser said. "The conflicts regarding the use of water will likely continue, and at the core of many of these conflicts is agriculture."