Steve Clyde Presents Before U.S. and Australia Water Experts at Inaugural Groundwater Law and Policy Workshop
Monday, 10 October 2011 00:00
STANFORD, Calif. - Steven E. Clyde, vice president of Clyde Snow & Sessions law firm, addressed U.S. and Australia water experts at the recent inaugural Comparative Groundwater Law and Policy Workshop.
The workshop, held at Stanford University in October, examined best practices in law and policy for integrated groundwater management in the U.S. and Australia. Mr. Clyde was invited to share his expertise regarding the interaction of groundwater and surface water alongside keynote speakers such as David J. Hayes, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior; Tony Slatyer, First Assistant Secretary for Water Reform, Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities; and Chloe Munro, Australian National Water Commission.
"It was an honor to be invited to participate in this workshop alongside some of the U.S.'s and Australia's scientific and legal leaders in groundwater management at this inaugural conference," Clyde said. "It's a global issue, and having this kind of cross-country collaboration provides a powerful atmosphere for identifying solutions to universal issues."
Mr. Clyde joined the small, select group of groundwater managers and experts from the U.S. and Australia in sharing experiences and practical lessons in integrated groundwater management. Forty leading members of the Australian and United States governments and NGO, corporate, and academic communities were invited to bring unique expertise, insights and perspectives to the workshop. The workshop included case studies on how key states deal with links between surface water and groundwater, and disputes that arise due to these links; highlighted new techniques for improving aquifer recharge and identifying and mapping groundwater-dependent ecosystems, and investigating their policy implications; and helped shape the research for the Comparative Groundwater Law and Policy Program to ensure that it is responsive to decision makers' needs.
Part of a broader Comparative Groundwater Law and Policy Program, the workshop was sponsored by the Woods Institute for the Environment and the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University and the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. Over the next three years, the Program will produce a series of reports and recommendations on laws and policies for integrated groundwater management.