Issues of Governance, Policy, and Law in Managing Urban–Rural and Groundwater–Surface Water Connections

Abstract

Urban water systems increasingly are seen as one part of a complex web of diverse water sources and uses. Urban water managers can now rarely focus on one water source, or on water supply reliability alone, without considering social and environmental effects. Water laws and institutional arrangements can facilitate urban water suppliers recognizing and benefiting from connections and interactions in two core areas: between groundwater and surface water sources, and between urban and rural water supplies. This chapter will review, at a high level, how water laws and institutions can address these core areas of interaction, and encourage associated innovations. It also reviews challenges that..