Law Commons^™

Alice In Groundwater Land: Water Supply Assessments And Subsurface Water Supplies, Kevin M. O'Brien

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

The purpose of this Article is to explore the preparation of Water Supply Assessments in the context of subsurface water supplies. The term “subsurface water supplies” is used here rather than “groundwater” because, as discussed below, the proponent of a development project may propose to utilize a subsurface water supply (such as water produced from beneath the surface of land via a well or a flowing spring) that is not properly classified as groundwater because it falls within the legal definition of subterranean stream flow. In such a case, the supply would be subject to the water rights permitting jurisdiction …

Friant Dam Holding Contracts: Not An Entitlement To Water Supply Under Sb 610, Barry Epstein

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

Nearly ten years ago, California’s Legislature enacted Senate Bill (SB) 610, a new law requiring that any proposed large development project receiving local land use approvals be supported by a Water Supply Assessment demonstrating available water supply to meet the project’s 20-year forecast water demand. While some, perhaps most, proposed large development projects are within the service territory of large, public or private municipal water purveyors whose entitlement to the water they deliver is well-established (though not necessarily adequate or secure), developments outside the service territory of such water purveyors can require more scrutiny of the underlying water rights entitlement …

The Fluid Nature Of Property Rights In Water, Shelley Ross Saxer

Duke Environmental Law & Policy Forum

No abstract provided.

Water Rights Law - Peterson V. Department Of The Interior: Are Contract Rights Ever Property Rights Under The Reclamation Reform Act?, Charlotte Robertson

Golden Gate University Law Review

In Peterson v. Department of the Interior the Ninth Circuit held that section 203(b) of the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (RRA), a comprehensive amendment of the Federal Reclamation Act, did not unconstitutionally take the property of state Water Districts in California's Central Valley without due process or compensation. The court found that pre-existing water delivery contracts with the Bureau of Reclamation did not confer a constitutionally protectable right to receive federally subsidized water upon the Water Districts. In Peterson, the first ruling by any circuit court on a direct challenge to the RRA, the Ninth Circuit examined the retroactive …

Federal Jurisdiction, Williamson B.C. Chang

Golden Gate University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Indian Law, Margaret Crow

Golden Gate University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Indian Law, Mark R. Peterson, May Lee Tong

Golden Gate University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Indian Law, Jeffrey A. Titus

Golden Gate University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights And Natural Resource Development: Chile's Mapuche Peoples And The Right To Water, Lila Barrera-Hernández

Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law

This paper is based on the contention, included in the 1997 Proposed American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, that "traditional collective systems for control and use of land, territory and resources, including bodies of water and coastal areas, are a necessary condition for [indigenous peoples'] survival, social organization, development and their individual and collective well-being." It intends to present and analyze some of the issues facing the Mapuche peoples of Chile as they fight to maintain control of water resources in their territories. The right to water is chosen, amongst other human rights also at stake in the …

Property Rights On The New Frontier: Climate Change, Natural Resources Development, And Renewable Energy, Alexandra B. Klass

Alexandra B. Klass

This Article explores the history of natural resources law and pollution control law to provide insights into current efforts by states to create wind easements, solar easements, and other property rights in the use of or access to renewable resources. Development of these resources is critical to current efforts to address climate change, which has a foot in both natural resources law and pollution control law. This creates challenges for developing theoretical and policy frameworks in this area, particularly surrounding the role of property rights. Property rights have played an important role in both natural resources law and pollution control …

Aligning Visions For The Bay-Delta: Market-Based Ecosystem Restoration Through Agricultural Efficiency Improvements, Derek Adrian Hoye

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

This Comment proposes a comprehensive solution that could generate enormous water savings by increasing the efficiency of agriculture. Part II outlines the basics of California water law, specifically focusing on laws pertaining to water conservation and transfer. Part III analyzes the systems used in three other states to deal with water shortages and declining ecosystems. Part IV presents a proposal for conserving agricultural water, promoting irrigation efficiency through an educational outreach program, and using the water-transfer market as an economic incentive for efficiency. This proposal supplements the recommendations of the Strategic Plan with practical implementation analysis and achievable goals.

Slides: Water Management On Public Lands: Chapter 8 Of The Pllrc Report, Michael Gheleta

The Past, Present, and Future of Our Public Lands: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Public Land Law Review Commission’s Report, One Third of the Nation’s Land (Martz Summer Conference, June 2-4)

Presenter: Michael Gheleta, U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor (Lakewood, CO)

12 slides

Physical Takings, Regulatory Takings, And Water Rights, Josh Patashnik

Josh Patashnik

Alleged takings of property are divided into two broad categories: physical takings claims, which are categorically subject to compensation, and regulatory takings claims, which are analyzed under the multi-factor Penn Central test and rarely result in compensation being paid. This Article addresses the question of whether alleged takings of water rights should be treated as physical or regulatory takings. It is an increasingly salient question in the West, where growing conflict between federal environmental laws and appropriative water rights has resulted in a proliferation of takings claims over the past decade. Because whether a claim is analyzed as a physical …

Rethinking The Future Of The Colorado River: Draft Interim Report Of The Colorado River Governance Initiative, Colorado River Governance Initiative, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center, Western Water Policy Program

Books, Reports, and Studies

117 p. : ill. (some color), color maps ; 29 cm

You Drank My Milkshake! Accusations Of Water Rights Takings In Estate Of Hage V. United States, Holly E. Cheong

Nevada Law Journal

This Note examines both the physical and regulatory takings of water rights found in Estate of Hage and provides an analysis of how takings law should apply to water rights. Part II of this Note provides a brief background of takings law under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution with a focus on case law involving water rights. Parts III and IV review the history of the Estate of Hage case and focus on the recent Estate of Hage decision, including Judge Smith's logic for finding that there was a taking of water rights. In Part V, this Note analyzes …