NATIONAL COMMISSION A Summary-Digest of State Water Laws Richard L. Dewsnup Editors Robert W. Swenson Associate Editor THE COMMISSION Charles F. Luce of New York, Chairman Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Consolidated Edison Company of New York; former Under Secretary of the Interior and former Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration; lawyer. Howell Appling, Jr., of Oregon President of the Independent Distributors of Portland, Oregon; former Secretary of State for the State of Oregon. James R. Ellis of Washington Partner in the Seattle law firm of Preston, Thorgrimson, Starin, Ellis & Holman; General Counsel to the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle; member of the Council and Chairman of the Metropolitan Government Committee, Section of Local Government Law, American Bar Association; President of Forward Thrust, Inc. Roger C. Ernst of Arizona Consultant on land and water to the Arizona Public Service Company; former Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land Manage ment. Ray K. Linsley of California Professor of Hydraulic Engineering and Director of EngineeringEconomic Planning, Stanford University; former Head Hydrologic Engineer for the U.S. Weather Bureau. James E. Murphy of Montana Partner in the law firm of Murphy, Robinson, Heckathorn & Phillips, of Kalispell, Montana; Chairman of the Legal Committee of the Columbia Interstate Compact Commission; Chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the Montana House of Representatives; former Member of the Pacific Northwest River Basins Commission. Josiah Wheat of Texas Partner in the law firm of Wheat, Wheat & Stafford, of Woodville, Texas; Legal Counsel, Texas Water Quality Board; Member, American Bar Association Special Committee on Environmental Law; Chairman of the Board of the Texas Water Conservation Association; past President of the State Bar of Texas. ii THE PRESIDENT, The White House. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL NATIONAL WATER COMMISSION, DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: During the course of our examination of the Nation's resource problems undertaken pursuant to the provisions of the National Water Commission Act of September 26, 1968, the Commission staff found it necessary to compile and keep up-to-date information on the laws under which State water resources programs are carried out. This information was reproduced for the Commission's use in a volume entitled "A Summary-Digest of State Water Laws." Since the information contained in this volume will provide very useful background data for all readers of the National Water Commission's final report, and will be of value to others concerned with many aspects of the myriad water resources programs of the Nation, copies of the summary-digest have been prepared for distribution through the Government Printing Office. Even during the life of the National Water Commission, State water laws have undergone many changes. New laws have been enacted and others have been amended. The Commission believes that it would be most helpful to those interested in State water laws if the summarydigest could be periodically brought up to date. Accordingly, the Commission recommends that provisions be made for a periodic review and update of the summary-digest and that it be published and made generally available to the public through the Government Printing Office. Respectfully submitted, CHARLES F. LUCE, Chairman. iii |