Document Type

Working Paper

Publication Date

4-26-2014

SSRN Discipline

PSN Subject Matter eJournals; LSN Subject Matter eJournals; ERN Subject Matter eJournals; Sustainability Research & Policy Network; Economics Research Network; Legal Scholarship Network; Public Choice & Political Economy eJournals; Law School Research Papers - Legal Studies; Administrative Law eJournals; SRPN Subject Matter eJournals; Political Science Network; Environmental & Natural Resources Law eJournals; Political Economy - Development eJournals

Abstract

Alabama faces a major and expanding water crisis Population growth and economic development are putting more pressure on water resources already strained by recent droughts and such droughts are likely to become more frequent and more severe in the future Disputes with neighboring states over shared water resources threaten Alabama's use of interstate waters to meet future needs And Alabama's current legal regime is wholly inadequate to meet these challengesThe failures of Alabama's state water law could be corrected with one statute The State Legislature should act swiftly to adopt a comprehensive water management statute based on the Regulated Riparian Model Water Code the resulting statute should regulate the state's surface and groundwater as one unified resource and should coordinate water quality regulation with water quantity regulation Adopting such a statute will prepare the state for future water shortages as well as putting it on a better footing for future negotiations with neighboring states

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