This volume of the Elgar Encyclopedia of Environmental Law provides thorough and detailed coverage of the changing meanings and roles of water law, from the local to the global. It examines the rules of ownership, rights of use, and dispute resolution that address access, allocation, and protection of water resources. Written by leading scholars and practitioners from across the globe, the volume is organised into thematic parts, beginning with an overview of fundamental concepts in water law, as well as pervasive issues such as the interplay of water law, governance and politics, and the water-energy nexus. Entries then discuss topics in international, regional, and national water law, before exploring broader questions about the intersections between water law and areas such as development, infrastructure, and indigenous rights. The volume also offers insights into potential future directions of water law and governance in response to the increasingly pressing ecological issues. This authoritative volume will be a vital resource for all scholars and students of environmental law. Practitioners, policy makers and water managers will also find its accessible discussion of complex topics in water law particularly beneficial.

According to a famous Talmudic story (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shabbat: 31a), a gentile once approached Rabbi Hillel and asked to be taught the entire Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel replied, 'Love your neighbour as yourself. That is the entire Torah. The rest is simply an explanation. Go and learn it ' In much the same way, Jewish law can be described in one word-Torah. All the rest is simply an explanation. The Torah, also known as the Bible, the five books of Moses, and the Pentateuch, was written over 3,000 years ago. Since then, Jewish law has developed various interpretations and applications of the Torah, interpretations of those interpre- tions, and so on. Jewish law contains civil dictates as well as religious protocol. Problems that arose in the framework of religious life and problems surrounding civil relationships both found solutions in the same legal source-the Torah and the Halacha, the Jewish legal interpretations and rulings. This chapter on water law in the Jewish tradition provides insight into Jewish law and custom in general, and rules related to the protection of water sources in particular. One should not look, however, to find a written code of Jewish law, as there is none.

Appropriative Rights Model Water Code provides a model of a coherent body of law that can be utilized to improve existing water allocation laws. Appropriative rights takes its name from the legal requirement that water be ""appropriated"" and applied to a ""beneficial use"" in order for one to acquire the right to use it. Today, appropriative rights remain in the predominant body of law for the quantitative allocation of water in the 18 States west of Kansas City. This committee report originated from a detailed review of existing water allocation laws in these states. A hydrologically-based legal framework that balances human and environmental needs, ""Appropriative Rights Model Water Code"" integrates the management of water quality and water quantity, and takes into consideration the appropriate social, economical, political, and administrative aspects of water management. This committee report is the first coherent and comprehensive model that legislatures can consider as a basis for creating a standardized water code for all the states. Notably, the book is presented in ""menu"" style, and can be used in whole or in part as deemed appropriate by a given legislature.