Webinars

On Thursday, October 26, 2023, at 10:00 am Pacific Time, Dividing the Waters, in collaboration with the Environmental Law Institute, will host a ninety-minute webinar that critically examines the Sackett decision, considers the ramifications of the decision, and examines the steps that states and tribes can take to protect wetlands and other waters not covered by the Clean Water Act.

This four-part webinar is offered at no cost, and is open to judges, attorneys and others who are interested. You can attend some of the sessions or all of the sessions, but you only need to register one time.

First Session:  View recording here. Thursday, June 16, 2022, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm Pacific time.
Water Development in the Upper Rio Grande Basin; Interstate Conflicts and the Rio Grande Compact; State Supreme Court’s Rejection of 1975 Proposed Groundwater Rules; Litigation over Attempted Export of Groundwater from the Basin; Legislation Directing the Development of a Decision Support System and authorizing groundwater management directed toward insuring sustainability.

Second Session: View recording here. Thursday, July 14, 2022, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm Pacific time.
Design, Development and Implementation of a Colorado Rio Grande Decision Support System (“RGDSS) and its Groundwater Model; Demonstration of System

Third Session: View recording here. Thursday, August 18 2022, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm Pacific time.
Adoption of 2006 and 2015 Groundwater Rules and Groundwater Management Plans based on RGDSS and its Groundwater Model; Litigation over Objections to Rules and first Groundwater Management Plan.

Fourth Session:  View recording here. Thursday, September 15, 2022, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm Pacific time.
Faculty Roundtable Discussion of Lessons Learned

In 2002, at least 33,000 salmon died in the Lower Klamath River as they attempted to reach their spawning habit, access to which had been blocked for decades by four hydropower dams in the Lower Basin. The fish kill bolstered the efforts of the Native American Tribes of the Lower Basin to remove the dams, which were a major contributor to the derogation of the Klamath’s water quality and the historical erosion of the Tribes’ culture, health and overall well-being. After years of court and administrative proceedings, settlement negotiations, political maneuvering and more negotiations, on June 17 of this year one of the last remaining hurdles to removal of the dams was eliminated. On that date the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the transfer of the hydroelectric license from the long-time operator of the dams to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation and the States of Oregon and California.

Dividing the Waters is conducting two webinars on the Klamath. The first webinar will focus on the impact of federal Indian policy on the Klamath Tribes and the tribes’ efforts to perfect and enforce their water rights in order to protect the culturally important suckers.

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