Environmental Engineering Reference
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help from state or federal government to make water from water-
rich areas available to them.”
Idaho rancher and former legislator Newcomb doesn't like the
idea of a national water policy, either. “I think that's very, very dan-
gerous. It's a states' issue,” he says. “Here is Idaho sitting with two
representatives in Congress, and California with fi fty-two represen-
tatives. So you're going to establish water policy on a federal level
when you're outgunned?”
Newcomb argues that water policy would then become a polit-
ical issue rather than a question of public policy. California would
be able to take Idaho's water, he says, “because fi fty-two representa-
tives have a lot more clout than two. Plus, if you look at the seniority
system and leadership in Congress, Idaho basically loses on that.”
Newcomb fears that the more populated states would rule
when it comes to policy, and coalitions of states like California
and Nevada, which both need water, could gang up politically on
states like Idaho. “That's not the way it should be, big against little,”
Newcomb adds.
As for the possibility of centralized control in the future, Sims
is doubtful. “Some areas have concentrations of people who want
water and have votes and vote for politicians who want the same,”
he says. “Other areas aren't as well populated and have a different
agenda, and they don't have as many voters.”
Given that so many disputes over water are between states, it
might make sense to have a national policy or law to regulate inter-
state water issues, says Dellapenna. However, he agrees that isn't
going to happen. “Congress theoretically has the power, but it's
never done it and it's not likely to do it because of political reality.”
Some things Congress theoretically could do to address water
issues, says Dellapenna, include naming a secretary of water; giving the
U.S. Department of Interior the power to allocate water among states,
and setting up a special set of courts to settle water disputes.
East or West, water experts are doubtful about the chances
anytime soon of a national water god. The idea of a national
water policy is “misguided,” says Clive Strong, chief of Idaho's
Natural Resources Division. “A national water policy ignores the
fact that in large part, every water basin has different hydrologic
characteristics, and therefore water allocation must be tailored
