320 Water Resources Law
This survey course examines the legal and policy issues governing water quality and resource allocation in the United States. Students will be introduced to both the Prior Appropriation systems of the western United States and the Reasonable Use systems dominating the eastern states. We will study key laws that affect water quality and quantity, including the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and others. Students will also explore emerging issues in water policy, including the regulation of "forever chemicals," protection of wetlands, and mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, among other policy issues. Throughout the course, students will study how environmental justice relates to water resource management.
| Course Areas of Practice |
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| Evaluation Methods |
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| Degree Requirements |
JD SRWP with add-on credit
JD elective
IntlLLM-SJD-EXC elective
IntlLLM writing
IntlLLM Environ Cert
PIPS elective
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Sample Syllabi |
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Spring 2026
| Course Number | Course Credits | Evaluation Method | Instructor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320.01 | 2 |
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Ryke Longest | ||
This survey course examines the legal and policy issues governing water quality and resource allocation in the United States. Students will be introduced to both the Prior Appropriation systems of the western United States and the Reasonable Use systems dominating the eastern states. We will study key laws that affect water quality and quantity, including the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and others. Students will also explore emerging issues in water policy, including the regulation of "forever chemicals," protection of wetlands, and mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, among other policy issues. Throughout the course, students will study how environmental justice relates to water resource management. Degree RequirementsPre/Co-requisitesNone |
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Spring 2025
| Course Number | Course Credits | Evaluation Method | Instructor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320.01 | 2 |
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Nancy Lauer, Ryke Longest | ||
This survey course examines the legal and policy issues governing water quality and resource allocation in the United States. Students will be introduced to both the Prior Appropriation systems of the western United States and the Reasonable Use systems dominating the eastern states. We will study key laws that affect water quality and quantity, including the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and others. Students will also explore emerging issues in water policy, including the regulation of "forever chemicals," protection of wetlands, and mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, among other policy issues. Throughout the course, students will study how environmental justice relates to water resource management. Degree RequirementsPre/Co-requisitesNone |
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Spring 2024
| Course Number | Course Credits | Evaluation Method | Instructor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320.01 | 2 |
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Blakely Hildebrand, Nancy Lauer | ||
This survey course examines the legal and policy issues governing water quality and resource allocation in the United States. Students will be introduced to both the Prior Appropriation systems of the western United States and the Reasonable Use systems dominating the eastern states. We will study key laws that affect water quality and quantity, including the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and others. Students will also explore emerging issues in water policy, including the regulation of "forever chemicals," protection of wetlands, and mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, among other policy issues. Throughout the course, students will study how environmental justice relates to water resource management. Syllabus: 320-01-Spring2024-syllabus.pdf179.59 KB Degree RequirementsPre/Co-requisitesNone |
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Spring 2023
| Course Number | Course Credits | Evaluation Method | Instructor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320.01 | 2 |
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Nancy Lauer | ||
This survey course examines the legal and policy issues governing water quality and resource allocation in the United States. Students will be introduced to both the Prior Appropriation systems of the western United States and the Reasonable Use systems dominating the eastern states. We will study key laws that affect water quality and quantity, including the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and others. Students will also explore emerging issues in water policy, including the regulation of "forever chemicals," protection of wetlands, and mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, among other policy issues. Throughout the course, students will study how environmental justice relates to water resource management. Degree RequirementsPre/Co-requisitesNone |
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Spring 2022
| Course Number | Course Credits | Evaluation Method | Instructor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320.01 | 2 |
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Ryke Longest | ||
This survey course studies the legal and policy issues governing water resource allocation in the United States. Students will be introduced to both the Prior Appropriation systems of the western United States and the Reasonable Use systems dominating the eastern states. We will study the law applied to groundwater use as well as laws and regulations governing the institutions who allocate water resources. We will also discuss the Safe Drinking Water Act and how environmental justice relates to water resource management. Degree RequirementsPre/Co-requisitesNone |
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Spring 2021
| Course Number | Course Credits | Evaluation Method | Instructor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320.01 | 2 |
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Ryke Longest | ||
This survey course studies the legal and policy issues governing water resource allocation in the United States. Students will be introduced to both the Prior Appropriation systems of the western United States and the Reasonable Use systems dominating the eastern states. We will study the law applied to groundwater use as well as issues of federalism. Examples from disputes around ACF basin and the Colorado River will be contrasted. We will examine the issues from the perspective of different user groups. Pre/Co-requisitesNone |
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Spring 2020
| Course Number | Course Credits | Evaluation Method | Instructor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320.01 | 2 |
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Ryke Longest | ||
This survey course studies the legal and policy issues governing water resource allocation in the United States. Students will be introduced to both the Prior Appropriation systems of the western United States and the Reasonable Use systems dominating the eastern states. We will study the law applied to groundwater use as well as issues of federalism. Examples from disputes around ACF basin and the Colorado River will be contrasted. We will examine the issues from the perspective of different user groups. Pre/Co-requisitesNone |
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Spring 2019
| Course Number | Course Credits | Evaluation Method | Instructor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320.01 | 2 |
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Ryke Longest | ||
This survey course studies the legal and policy issues governing water resource allocation in the United States. Students will be introduced to both the Prior Appropriation systems of the western United States and the Reasonable Use systems dominating the eastern states. We will study the law applied to groundwater use as well as issues of federalism. Examples from disputes around ACF basin and the Colorado River will be contrasted. We will examine the issues from the perspective of different user groups. Pre/Co-requisitesNone |
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Spring 2018
| Course Number | Course Credits | Evaluation Method | Instructor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320.01 | 2 |
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Ryke Longest | ||
This survey course studies the legal and policy issues governing water resource allocation in the United States. Students will be introduced to both the Prior Appropriation systems of the western United States and the Reasonable Use systems dominating the eastern states. We will study the law applied to groundwater use as well as issues of federalism. Examples from disputes around ACF basin and the Colorado River will be contrasted. We will examine the issues from the perspective of different user groups. Pre/Co-requisitesNone |
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Spring 2017
| Course Number | Course Credits | Evaluation Method | Instructor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320.01 | 2 |
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Ryke Longest | ||
This survey course studies the legal and policy issues governing water resource allocation in the United States. Students will be introduced to both the Prior Appropriation systems of the western United States and the Reasonable Use systems dominating the eastern states. We will study the law applied to groundwater use as well as issues of federalism. Examples from disputes around ACF basin and the Colorado River will be contrasted. We will examine the issues from the perspective of different user groups. Pre/Co-requisitesNone |
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Spring 2016
| Course Number | Course Credits | Evaluation Method | Instructor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320.01 | 2 | Ryke Longest | |||
This survey course studies the legal and policy issues governing water resource allocation in the United States. Students will be introduced to both the Prior Appropriation systems of the western United States and the Reasonable Use systems dominating the eastern states. We will study the law applied to groundwater use as well as issues of federalism. Examples from disputes around ACF basin and the Colorado River will be contrasted. We will examine the issues from the perspective of different user groups. Pre/Co-requisitesNone |
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