Professor Frank Wins Landmark Victory in Groundwater Regulation Case
Professor of Environmental Practice Rick Frank was successful in convincing the Sacramento County Superior Court that California's public trust doctrine applies to groundwater having a hydrologic connection to surface waters of the state.
Superior Court Judge Allen Sumner issued this landmark decision in Environmental Law Foundation v. County of Siskiyou on July 15, 2014, finding that state and county officials have an affirmative duty to consider environmental and recreational values in connection with groundwater pumping affecting surface flows of the Scott River in northwestern California.
Frank, together with attorneys from the Environmental Law Foundation, represents environmental groups and commercial fishing organizations who argued successfully that unfettered groundwater pumping in the region has reduced substantially river flows in the Scott River, to the detriment of salmon fisheries, the regional ecosystem and recreational interests dependent upon adequate river flows.
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.