Examines the water policy of the arid southwestern US from the perspectives of political science, economics, and the law. The 15 chapters discuss the political context and legal doctrines; the role of governments; and water allocation and other management issues.

Groundwater, the term used for water that percolates through the soil and is held in underground reservoirs called aquifers, provides approximately 25% of all the water from all the sources used in the US. This study examines groundwater conditions in AZ, CA, and NM and provides a brief explanation of the forces (or constraints) that in large part work to determine what the ground water policy in a given area will be.