In May 1991, the Western Governors' Association (WGA) and Western States Water Council (WSWC) organized the first in a series of three workshops, held in Park City, Utah, to address changing needs in water management in the West. Attendees included a broad, representative mix of water managers (federal, state, Indian, local and private), water interest groups, and academics. The outcome of this effort was agreement on a set of six principles which should be considered in western water resources management and policy development. These have come to be known as the "Park City Principles" among the water resources community.
Following the three Park City workshops, the WGA at their June 23, 1992 conference passed a resolution endorsing the Park City Principles, and issued a document entitled Pioneering New Solutions: Directing our Destiny. This report contained several recommendations, one of which asked cooperation with the university-based water research institutes to analyze federal statutes and clarify public interest requirements as they related to the Park City Principles.
This resolution lead to a Powell Consortium project which examined selected federal statutes, regulations, and court decisions that impact the ability of non-federal entities (state and local government, interstate organizations, etc.) to manage water resources and resolve water conflicts involving competing interests. During the Park City workshops some participants observed that solutions to water conflicts which might make sense at the local, state, or regional level sometimes conflict with federal policy. Identifying these conflicts was an important task for the project. The project was not designed as a comprehensive analysis of all relevant water programs, but rather as a diverse sampling which might produce provocative talking points for focusing future discussion and debate in a workshop setting similar to those held in Park City.
The Powell Consortium selected a group of five legal scholars to prepare separate "White Papers" examining the following: 1) interstate issues; 2) water supply issues; 3) water quality; 4) hydropower; and 5) species protection. The study team included: Charles DuMars, University of New Mexico; Brian Gray, University of California; Lawrence MacDonnell, University of Colorado; George William Sherk, former Justice Department trial lawyer; and Mark Squillace, University of Wyoming. Frank Gregg of the University of Arizona provided valuable assistance in the design of the overall study. Funding for the Powell Consortium "Park City Water Law Project" was provided by member institutes of the Consortium.
Copies are available from the Powell Consortium. Please Contact: