Drought, Water Law, and the Origins of California's Central Valley Project
Drought, Water Law, and the Origins of California's Central Valley Project

Author: Tim Stroshane

Publisher: University of Nevada Press

Published: 2016-10-27

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 087417001X

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This book is an account of how water rights were designed as a key part of the state’s largest public water system, the Central Valley Project. Along sixty miles of the San Joaquin River, from Gustine to Mendota, four corporate entities called “exchange contractors” retain paramount water rights to the river. Their rights descend from the days of the Miller & Lux Cattle Company, which amassed an empire of land and water from the 1850s through the 1920s and protected these assets through business deals and prolific litigation. Miller & Lux’s dominance of the river relied on what many in the San Joaquin Valley regarded as wasteful irrigation practices and unreasonable water usage. Economic and political power in California’s present water system was born of this monopoly on water control. Stroshane tells how drought and legal conflict shaped statewide economic development and how the grand bargain of a San Joaquin River water exchange was struck from this monopoly legacy, setting the stage for future water wars. His analysis will appeal to readers interested in environmental studies and public policy.

Layperson's Guide to Water Rights Law
Layperson's Guide to Water Rights Law

Author: Tom Hicks

Publisher:

Published: 2013-12-10

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13: 9781619480094

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The 28-page Layperson's Guide to Water Rights Law, recognized as the most thorough explanation of California water rights law available to non-lawyers, traces the authority for water flowing in a stream or reservoir, from a faucet or into an irrigation ditch through the complex web of California water rights. It includes historical information on the development of water rights law, sections on surface water rights and groundwater rights, a description of the different agencies involve in water rights, and a section on the issues not only shaped by water rights decisions but that are also driving changes in water rights. Includes chronology of landmark cases and legislation and an extensive glossary.

Water Law
Water Law

Author: William Goldfarb

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2020-08-26

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 1000157512

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This revised second edition is essential to everyone involved with water and water resources-complying with the myriad federal, state, and local laws and regulations that govern the use and management of water in our attempts to maintain, clean, usable water. It includes the law of water diversion and distribution; water resources development and protection; water treatment and land use; ocean dumping; oil and hazardous substances cleanup; riparian and non-riparian systems; Eastern permit systems; beneficial use; water codes; prior appropriation; surface and ground water; channel modifications; municipal water supply; irrigation; California Water Management Districts; Bureau of Reclamation; Corps of Engineers; Water Resources Development Act of 1986; SCS, TVA, BPA, NEA, CERCLA, CWA, SDWA, RCRA, and their substantial changes in the last four years; water resources planning and research; public use; ownership of beds and banks; wild and scenic rivers; river corridor and instream flow protection; flood insurance, Section 404 and Section 208; the Supreme Court and water conservation; heat dischargers; quality-based effluent limitations; state ground water programs; pretreatment; funding; enforcement; citizen suits; and many more vital topics.

Water Reuse
Water Reuse

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2012-07-17

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 0309224624

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Expanding water reuse-the use of treated wastewater for beneficial purposes including irrigation, industrial uses, and drinking water augmentation-could significantly increase the nation's total available water resources. Water Reuse presents a portfolio of treatment options available to mitigate water quality issues in reclaimed water along with new analysis suggesting that the risk of exposure to certain microbial and chemical contaminants from drinking reclaimed water does not appear to be any higher than the risk experienced in at least some current drinking water treatment systems, and may be orders of magnitude lower. This report recommends adjustments to the federal regulatory framework that could enhance public health protection for both planned and unplanned (or de facto) reuse and increase public confidence in water reuse.

Valuing Ground Water
Valuing Ground Water

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1997-07-10

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 0309175003

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Because water in the United State has not been traded in markets, there is no meaningful estimate of what it would cost if it were traded. But failing to establish ground water's valueâ€"for in situ uses such as sustaining wetlands as well as for extractive uses such as agricultureâ€"will lead to continued overuse and degradation of the nation's aquifers. In Valuing Ground Water an interdisciplinary committee integrates the latest economic, legal, and physical knowledge about ground water and methods for valuing this resource, making it comprehensible to decision-makers involved in Superfund cleanup efforts, local wellhead protection programs, water allocation, and other water-related management issues. Using the concept of total economic value, this volume provides a framework for calculating the economic value of ground water and evaluating tradeoffs between competing uses of it. Included are seven case studies where ground-water valuation has been or could be used in decisionmaking. The committee examines trends in ground-water management, factors that contribute to its value, and issues surrounding ground-water allocation and legal rights to its use. The book discusses economic valuation of natural resources and reviews several valuation methods. Presenting conclusions, recommendations, and research priorities, Valuing Ground Water will be of interest to those concerned about ground-water issues: policymakers, regulators, economists, attorneys, researchers, resource managers, and environmental advocates.