BBER Publications
Document Type
Report
Publication Date
9-26-1974
Abstract
The study analyzes how expanding energy production in the Colorado River Basin could affect the legal framework governing allocation, management, and use of the river’s water resources. Written by Gary D. Weatherford and Gordon C. Jacoby for the University of New Mexico Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Institute for Social Research and Development, the study examines the intersection of rising water demands associated with coal-fired power generation, oil shale development, coal gasification, and other energy-related activities with the existing body of interstate compacts, federal statutes, judicial decisions, treaties, and water rights collectively known as the “Law of the River.” The report reviews the legal structure governing international, interstate, tribal, and intrastate water allocations; assesses hydrological conditions and competing future demands for limited water supplies; and evaluates potential legal conflicts arising from increased energy development.
Recommended Citation
Weatherford, Gary D., and Gordon C. Jacoby. Impact of Energy Development on the Law of the Colorado River. Institute for Social Research and Development, University of New Mexico Bureau of Business and Economic Research, September 26, 1974