Features and benefits

First of its kind

The first regulated, exchanged-traded risk management tool to manage water supply and demand risk.

Leading benchmark

Based on the NQH2O Index, the leading benchmark tracking the price of water at its source, with data backed by market leader, WestWater Research.

Flexible access

Small contract size allows for easy access to manage water price exposure. Trade on-screen five days a week or negotiate bilateral block trades anytime.

Price discovery

Robust, transparent markets foster true price discovery for participants.

Explore this product in depth

About the NQH20 Index: Reflecting water prices

The Nasdaq Veles California Water Index (ticker symbol: NQH2O) tracks the price of water rights leases and sales transactions across the five largest and most actively traded regions in California. Water entitlement transactions from the surface water market and four adjudicated groundwater basins ‒ the Central Basin, the Chino Basin, the Main San Gabriel Basin, and the Mojave Basin Alto Subarea are included in the index. The value of the index reflects the volume-weighted average price of water, at the source, excluding conveyance costs and water losses in the underlying markets after adjusting for idiosyncratic pricing factors specific to each of the eligible markets and transaction types. NQH20 is valued in U.S. dollars per acre foot (the volume of water required to cover one acre of land (43,560 square feet) to a depth of one foot, equivalent to 325,851 gallons).

CME Direct

CME Direct users: Download the NQH2O futures trading grids:

  1. Right click on the links to each file.
  2. Save the file as an .XML on your computer.
  3. In CME Direct, select import view in the main menu.
  4. Import the grid into CME Direct.
  5. Under Menu, click on Save Window Layout.

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