Interstate Water Compacts

Book excerpt: Long taken for granted, water resources are rapidly becoming a contentious issue within American politics. Continuing population growth and rapid development, coupled with environmental events such as droughts, have led to increasing water shortages in sections of the nation. In Interstate Water Compacts author Joseph F. Zimmerman highlights the growing importance of water issues within the United States and a device that has been instrumental in facilitating interstate cooperation to solve water-related problems: the interstate compact. This groundbreaking work is the first to devote itself exclusively to interstate and federal-interstate compacts pertaining to controversies including the abatement of water pollution, apportionment of river waters, economic development, flood control, inland fisheries, marine fisheries, and restoration to rivers of anadromous fish, such as salmon and shad. The process for entering into interstate and federal-interstate compacts is explained in detail, as is the exercise of original jurisdiction by the US Supreme Court to resolve intractable interstate controversies involving interpretation of provisions of compacts, water apportionment, and water pollution abatement. Zimmerman concludes by calling for the President, Congress, governors, state legislatures, and local governments to devote more attention and resources to finding solutions for water-related problems.