Where has all the water gone? Persistent drought throughout the West has dried up lakes, shrunk rivers, forced rationing in towns, and affected companies of all types. Agriculture production and processing is particularly hard-hit as both picturesque free flowing rivers and hidden underground aquifers are depleted. We will take a look at various water systems, including both the Ogallala Aquifer in the Great Plains that is at risk of being fully depleted within thirty years and the Colorado River whose headwaters emanate from small mountain streams in Northern Colorado and Wyoming and then trickle their way through Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and California. How does the law affect your company’s water rights?
In this webinar, we will provide an overview of the prior appropriation doctrine, the basic legal structure(s) governing water acquisition and usage throughout the Western United States. A review of current legal challenges to reallocation of water resources will be discussed in light of the drought affecting the Colorado River basin and various groundwater aquifer systems, including the Ogallala and Central Valley systems.
View materials from this session.
**NOTE: Watching this recording does not allow the user to obtain CLE, CPD, CPE or HR credits.