This desk reference tackles the complex system of water quality laws and regulations governing the safety of drinking water and the protection of lakes and streams. From the headwaters to the plains, this guide helps explain the risks and investigate the solutions to our water quality problems.

The updated second edition of this guide provides an overview of water quality issues important to Colorado. It summarizes the water quality protection framework currently in place at a national, state and local level to ensure that we protect, restore and maintain the quality of our most important resource--water.

This useful desk reference, authored by Justice Gregory Hobbs Jr., explores the basics of Colorado water law, how it developed, and how it is applied today. Readers can learn more about surface water and groundwater allocation and regulation, understand concepts such as interstate compacts, or read about how a "call" for water works.