American Bar Association Energy and Resources Committees

Water Resources Committee

2010-2011 Committee Chair:

Wendy Bowden Crowther, Clyde Snow & Sessions, Salt Lake City, UT

2009-2010 Committee Awards

This Committee was recognized with the following awards within the Energy and Resources Committees. (more)

• 2009-2010 Best Newsletters Award
• 2009-2010 Best Public Service Award

29th Annual Water Law Conference

The 29th Annual Water Law Conference will take place from February 23-25, 2011 in San Diego, CA. It is targeted towards lawyers, engineers, policy makers, and water managers with interest in the protection, development, and allocation of water rights and water resources, or those who participate in the management of surface and groundwater resources. It will be of value to all persons involved in water right issues, including those with private, municipal, agricultural, and tribal water rights. The conference is open to any interested persons, and is not limited to lawyers.

Message from the Chair

I recently returned from the Fall Meeting where members of our committee served as speakers on two outstanding panels and where I proudly accepted awards on behalf of our committee for Best Newsletters and Best Public Service. These awards reflect not only the work and dedication of our Vice-Chairs but the commitment of our members. Our newsletter stands out because of the insightful articles you regularly produce and our public service projects, in both San Diego and Orlando, were successful due to your willingness to put in the labor. I want to thank you all for your participation. For new members, or those members who have not been active, I want to encourage you to get involved with this incredible group of water lawyers. Join us in San Diego for the Annual Water Law Conference, come early and spend the afternoon planting trees in Balboa Park. Or, find us in Salt Lake City at the Annual Water Law Conference where members of our committee will be speaking on two panels, one addressing the public trust doctrine and the second on the status of judicial takings. If attending a conference does not work for you, consider writing an article for our now two-time award winning newsletter. However, you choose to become involved, I can guarantee that working with this group of attorneys will be rewarding for you both professionally and personally.

Wendy Bowden Crowther

Message from the Vice Chair for Public Service

It is my pleasure to serve as the Vice Chair for Public Service for the Water Resources Committee. I feel it is our obligation and privilege, as lawyers, to give back to the communities in which we live, work, and recreate. As part of the Eastern Water Law Conference, the planning committee is organizing an excellent service project at the Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve. The service project for the Western Water Law Conference will be in San Diego’s famous Balboa Park. Given the breadth of experience of our members, these projects are just the beginning of the service we can perform. Members of the committee also may get involved in the many ongoing public service projects of the Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. If any members have additional ideas for serving our communities, please pass them along to me. Together, with our energy, passion, and specialized skills, we can better our world.

Jon Schutz

About the Committee

The Water Resources Committee focuses primarily on substantive and practice developments that impact water allocation and availability. These fall into a broad spectrum of subject areas, including state water law; federal and tribal water law; issues arising under the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act; interstate allocation of water; the Public Trust Doctrine; reserved water rights; state, local and municipal planning of water supplies; and federal reclamation law.

The Committee provides information to its members through several means, including the annual water law conference; the Committee newsletter; brown bag programs and other forms of programming not involving formal conferences; solicitation of books and of articles for Trends and Natural Resources and Environment; and its contribution to Year in Review.

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