Field Guide to Water Rights & Resource Issues

(Updated September 2006)

Mark Twain said, “Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting over.” Indeed, water rights have been a source of conflict and controversy throughout the history of the world. Ever expanding populations and resulting development continue to exacerbate the debate, particularly in the American West. Water conservation is becoming the norm in many parts of the country as municipalities struggle to keep up with demand. (D. Foligno, Project Specialist)

Contents: 

Water Resources & Issues  |  Water Rights  |  Land Use & Water  |  Water Quality Issues  |  Useful Websites  |  Books, eBooks & Other Resources

How America Uses Water

Water Resources & Issues  

When new building dries up resources, (New York Times, July 15, 2007).

What lies beneath: low ground-water levels are causing some Boston structures to rot under the surface, (Boston Globe, Apr. 2007).

Big gulp: quenching Texans' thirst for water, (Tierra Grande/Texas A&M, Apr. 2007).

Waterworks, (Texas REALTOR®, Mar. 2007).

In the West, a water fight over quality, not quantity, (Amherst Times, Sept. 2006).

What thirsty Arizona really wants, (Michigan Land Use Institute, Sept. 2006).

Linking housing growth to water supply, (Journal of the American Planning Association, Spring 2006). Q

How populations can grow on a finite water supply, (Rand Corporation., Spring 2006).

Don't forget the coastal waters!, (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mar. 2006). Q

Michigan Supreme Court protects public's right to walk on beach, (University of Mississippi, Dec. 2006).

Western water wars, (Time, Sept. 2005). Q

Lakeshore property values and water quality, (Mississippi Headwaters Board, May 2003).

Water Rights

Whose water is it anyway?, (Michigan Land Use Institute, July 2006).

Water pressure: below the surface of GCDs, (Texas A&M, Tierra Grande, Apr. 2006).

A conversation about takings and water rights, (Texas Law Review, June 2005). Q

Gimme that water, (Planning, Apr. 2005). Q

Colorado River water rights: property rights in transition, (University of Chicago Law Review, Fall 2004). Q

Water rights, (Today's Buyers Rep, Dec. 2003).  - See page 5 for this article.

The groundwater crisis: Public policy versus private property rights, (Real Estate Issues, Summer 2003). Q

Groundwater leases: what Texas landowners need to know, (TAMU Real Estate Center, July 2003).

Land Use & Water

Linking growth and land use to water supply, (Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Apr. 2003).

Paving our way to water shortages: how sprawl aggravates the effects of drought, (American Rivers, Natural Resources Defense Council, Smart Growth America, Aug. 2002).

Sprawl dies of thirst; Lack of available water threatens to confine development to metro regions of booming areas, (Builder, May 2001). Q

Got water? Tapping a new Texas market, (Tierra Grande, Jan. 2000).

Before the well runs dry: Designing a proactive water policy, (Tierra Grande, Jan. 1999).

Ground Water Primer, (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1998).

Healthy water: real estate sales depend on it, (Realty Times, Sept. 2006).

Local drinking water information, (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Aug. 2006).

What contaminants may be found in drinking water, (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Feb. 2006).

The significance of lead water mains in American cities: Some historical evidence, (University of Pittsburgh, 2003).

Water quality conditions in the United States: A profile from the 2000 National Water Quality Inventory, (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Aug. 2002).

$10 million settlement in water contamination case, (NBC5.com, May 2002).

Groundwater contamination and residential property values, (The Appraisal Journal, July 1997). Q

Useful Websites

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - 2006 Water Quality Guides

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Small Systems Guides

Water Quality "Glossary" - U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Geological Survey

Water Quiz - U.S. Geological Survey

American Water Resources Association

American Water Works Association

The Groundwater Foundation

International Water Law Project

National Drinking Water Clearinghouse

National Institutes for Water Resources - State water resource institute links

Soil & Water Conservation Society

American Ground Water Association

eBooks & Other Resources

Books, Videos, Research Reports & More

The resources below are available for loan through Information Central.  Up to three books, tapes, CDs and/or DVDs can be borrowed for 30 days from the Library for a nominal fee of $10.  Call Information Central at 800.874.6500 for assistance.

Clean water: An introduction to water quality and water pollution control, by Kenneth M. Vigil, (Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Press, 2003). TD 370 V55

The Clean Water Act handbook, 2nd Ed., (Chicago, IL: American Bar Association, 2003). KF 3790 C545

Beyond litigation: Case studies in water rights disputes, (Washington, DC: Environmental Law Institute, 2002). TD 345 E58

Water wars: Drought, flood, folly, and the politics of thirst, by Diane Raines Ward, (New York: Riverhead Books, 2002). TD 345 W257

Water follies: Groundwater pumping and the fate of America's fresh waters, by Robert Glennon, (Washington, DC: Island Press, 2002). TD 223 G58

Water Wars, Urban Land, Sept. 2002, p. 110+.

Evolution of water rights, Natural Resources Journal, Fall 1995, p. 821-979.

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