Water Law: Equitable Apportionment

Equitable apportionment is the water law doctrine that governs the U.S. Supreme Court's allocation of interstate waters (usually interstate rivers) between or among states. This lesson provides a review of the equitable apportionment doctrine for students who have studied this doctrine in a Water Law, Advanced Property, or Natural Resources course. Students should already have studied the doctrine and be familiar with the main U.S. Supreme Court decisions in this area. In addition, students should be familiar with the basic law of both prior appropriation and riparianism before completing this lesson.