Restoring the Trust: Water Resources & the Public Trust Doctrine: A Manual for Advocates

Abstract

"While the public trust doctrine is neither a panacea nor an adequate substitute for comprehensive water regulations, it is both a powerful legal tool and an effective paradigm for water resources management. The public trust doctrine embodies the ethical touchstone from which all water resource decisions should be made: namely, that water resources belong to the public. They are not commodities to be sold but natural assets to be protected, and we have a collective responsibility to preserve water resources for future generations."