Forging the New Water Law: Public Regulation of Proprietary Groundwater Rights

Authors

Antonio Rossmann
Michael J. Steel

Abstract

Until recently, Anglo-American law has neither identified nor protected public values in the management of water resources, but has restricted its application to the resolution of disputes between "proprietary" water right holders. This Article describes and evaluates the legal and policy bases of Inyo County's recently adopted program of local groundwater planning and management. After examining the evolution of proprietary groundwater law, the Article describes the contemporary Owens Valley dispute and the alternative of state-supervised groundwater regulation. The Article concludes that local control is both prudent and proper.

Recommended Citation

Antonio Rossmann and Michael J. Steel, Forging the New Water Law: Public Regulation of Proprietary Groundwater Rights, 33 Hastings L.J. 903 (1982).
Available at: https://repository.uclawsf.edu/hastings_law_journal/vol33/iss4/3