Water Policy in Minnesota

K. William Easter has worked on the economics of a wide range of water resource problems internationally and domestically over the past 50 years. He is currently professor of applied economics at the University of Minnesota. Jim Perry has been an active water resource professional for more than 40 years and is currently professor and head of the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota.

• Foreword I. Introduction 1. Time for Action II. Overview of Minnesota's Waters and Laws 2. Interstate and International Water Management3. Minnesota's Landscape Characteristics: The Implication for Water4. Implementing the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and Minnesota's Clean Water Legacy Act 5. Minnesota Water Law: A Unique Hybrid III. Managing the Waters as Biophysical Resources 6. Local Scale Institutions: Lake Management Associations and Watershed Districts 7. Policy Decisions and the Changing Face of Wetlands 8. Groundwater Policy at State and Local Levels: The Science-Policy Linkage IV. Managing Competing Water Uses 9. Urbanization and Water Resources: Policy Implementation in an Era of Austerity 10. Navigation, Dredging, and Protection: The Checkered History of Channel Maintenance 11. Water-Quality: Trading and the Effects of Agricultural and Energy Policy V. Emerging Issues 12. The Impact of Climate Change on Distribution and Use of Water 13. Management of Invasive Aquatic Species 14. Flooding and Flood Management 15. Policy Complexity and Competing Uses in a 'Water Rich' StateVI. Moving Toward a Progressive Future 16. Finding a Path to Water Sustainability 17. Lessons and Opportunities for Engagement by Present and Future Policy-Makers