Federal intervention in the management of groundwater resources: Past efforts and future prospects

The role of the federal government in groundwater regulation is likely to increase over the next few decades. A combination of events-including recent federal court decisions, past federal intervention in state groundwater utilization, the public pronouncements by a variety of federal actors, and increasing concern over the inability of states to control overdrafting-all suggest that the federal role in groundwater management may be increasing. These events are examined here, and it is argued that, without change in state groundwater management practices to mitigate the negative effects of state competition for groundwater, federal intervention in groundwater management seems likely.