California's Bay Delta Dilemma: A Hydrologic, Legal, and Economic Investigation.

Abstract

This is an effort to unify hydrology, water law, and economics for a coherent evaluation of the California Bay-Delta water conflict between environmental, agricultural, and urban interest groups. The integration of groundwater into state water resources planning is a crucial step in reforming California water policy. Groundwater and surface water are continuous elements of the water cycle. Unregulated groundwater use threatens surface flows, as well as being poor management of critical groundwater resources. State case law, local regulation, and federal law all have some ability to substitute for the lack of state groundwater code, but as yet these efforts are disparate and uncertain. Stronger state or federal management is essential. With water use permits for both groundwater and surface water, a more effective water marketing scheme could be employed to ease water rights restrictions and maintain water standards called for in the recent Bay- Delta compromise.