Water Law
Effective domestic and international law are critically important to meeting the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal of reducing by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water, particularly in light of the effects of climate change. Berkeley Law faculty and students are investigating these and other approaches to meet the crisis in water supply that is affecting California and the world. CLEE is central to these efforts. More research is needed to identify legal constraints, environmental governance structures and potential regulatory reforms that will improve water management in arid regions. CLEE’s interdisciplinary water governance research program addresses the statutory, Islamic and customary law governing ownership, use and pollution of surface water resources and groundwater.