Water Leasing Feeds Return

Bill White’s Huntsville Abbey Farm, acquired in 2016 from the monastic custodians, is reborn as a 215‑acre, 645‑acre‑foot water‑lease experiment. Under a 10‑year pilot, Summit Land Conservancy and Ogden Valley Land Trust will pump native grasses to quit irrigation, while the state pays White at a rate comparable to—or exceeding—proprietary crop yields. The balance sheet shows a modest 3‑year payback; the aesthetic gain is a salmon‑red barn surrounded by verdant grass instead of grain. Deer Valley Resort’s nearby development near Snow Park, using oxidized copper façades, would pay little for visibility in this scenario, as the farm’s water rights carry no tourism influx. The ROI looks slim, the environmental goodwill high, and the opportunity cost is negligible. For a portfolio seeking steady, low‑volatility yields, placing a small stake in White’s water lease is preferable to purchasing resource‑intensive mountain real estate. We recommend.