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University of Colorado Law School

Indigenous, Indian, and Aboriginal Law

Public interest

Publications

1996

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Law

Changing The River’S Course: Western Water Policy Reform, David H. Getches Jan 1996

Changing The River’S Course: Western Water Policy Reform, David H. Getches

Publications

Throughout the history of the West, water law and policy have had a profound influence on the environment of the region. Power production, agricultural irrigation, and economic expansion of the Columbia River Basin have depended upon the institutions of water policy, including the prior appropriation doctrine and major water development in the form of large dams and diversions. This has rendered the river incapable of sustaining the rich salmon populations that once were the mainstay of Northwest Indian culture and supported a major fishing industry. Professor Getches concludes that traditional instruments of water policy in the West--the beneficial use requirement …