10/27/19 | Seattle Times by Evans Bush ~~
Worldwide, as temperatures rise and aquifers dry, investors are increasingly bullish on water and buying vineyards, farms, and ranches for what’s underneath or flowing through.
WINTHROP, Okanogan County — Follow the water and you’ll find the money.
That’s how it often works in the dusty rural corners of Washington, where a Wall Street-backed firm is staking an ambitious venture on the state’s water.
Crown Columbia Water Resources since 2017 has targeted the water rights of farms on tributaries of the mighty Columbia River.
This March, the company sealed a $340,000 deal for Douglas County water.
The same day, it paid $1.69 million for a farming partnership’s water in Columbia County.
Two months later, the company spent nearly $1.61 million near Walla Walla. (READ MORE)
