Water Resource Management: A Casebook in Law and Public Policy

by Reed Benson, Burke Griggs, A. Tarlock

This casebook, significantly revised since the last edition, addresses both traditional water law rules and modern water management challenges. It covers Eastern and Western U.S. water law in detail, examining both classic principles and statutory modifications of the riparian rights and prior appropriation doctrines. It also explores public dimensions of water law, with chapters devoted to public water uses and the Public Trust Doctrine, environmental quality issues in water management, and government takings relating to water use restrictions and flood damages. In addressing issues from drought to flooding, the book considers the challenges posed by climate change for managing water resources in the 21st Century.

In addition to the inclusion of important new cases, legislation, and federal and state administrative developments, substantial changes in the new 8th edition

While the book remains national in scope, this edition offers new material from states with major recent developments in water law, including California, Colorado, the Pacific Northwest states, and Texas.

1153 pages, Hardcover

Published January 11, 2021

Reviews

[T.K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though some typos made it through editing, this is a very thorough discussion of water law. Some of the case excerpts are maddening, but they illustrate the difficulties courts face in this field because few states recognize the connectivity between ground and surface water, maintain realistic minimum flows, and plan for climate change.