Full Description

There has been a long history of water resources management on the federal level, mostly in terms of navigation and hydropower. A number of federal agencies have a prominent role in national water policy. The greatest impacts are from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Bureau of Reclamation (BUREC). The EPA is involved in water resources management through the Clean Water Act. Historically, BUREC's responsibility was to provide water supplies through by building water storage and increasing safe yield. Congress deferred to state systems of water allocations and water rights. Generally water rights administration takes two forms: riparian, in which the landowner adjacent to the water controls it, and appropriation, in which the first person to use the water has the primary right to continue to use it. In addition, when the federal government sets aside land for a specific use, such as a reservation or national park, it may reserve the rights to enough water to support that use. Closer cooperation between the federal, state, and local levels is required. With increasing disputes over federal reserved water rights, the federal government will have to play a prominent role in water resources allocation.

Product Details

Published: 01/01/1993 ISBN(s): 0898677122 Number of Pages: 12File Size: 1 file , 400 KB