Professor Frank Comments on California Water Law for Desert Sun

Professor of Environmental Practice Richard Frank commented for the Palm Springs and Coachella Valley newspaper The Desert Sun on the need for California to reform its water laws in light of the challenges posed by the ongoing drought and climate change. 

In the article, Frank notes that a state commission reviewed water rights law and provided a set of recommendations during the last drought in the 1970s, but the potential for reform lost momentum when the drought broke in 1978.  Now, as the state faces an even more severe water shortage, California is again reviewing its water rights system, much to the dismay of some water rights holders.

"A lot of the water users are screaming bloody murder, as if it's an intrusion upon their First Amendment rights," Frank said. "State constitutional provisions are very clear on this, that water is a public resource and that all private parties can do is obtain a right to use it. They don't own the water."

Frank, a 1974 graduate of King Hall, is a leader in the field of environmental law and the founding Director of the California Environmental Law and Policy Center at UC Davis School of Law.

The Desert Sun

Primary Category

Tags