Dealing with interstate water issues: The federal interstate compact experience

The resolution of interstate water conflicts has been a difficult problem in the United States. A reluctant US. Supreme Court has urged Congress to legislate solutions and has urged the states to make use of the compact clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Delaware and Susquehanna River Basin Commissions ave federal-interstate compact agencies with comprehensive powers to deal, not only with interstate conflicts, but with all other water resource management issues. These commissions are the first interstate compact agencies to include the federal government as a full-fledged signatory member. This chapter traces the evolution of the federal-interstate compact commissions, reviews their most important powers, and cites several case studies of their actions.