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Show Chapter 7. CONNECTICUT CONTENTS Page 1. Development of Connecticut Water Law_________________________ 175 2. State Organizational Structure for Water Administration and Control- 175 2.1 Administration of Water Rights________________________ 175 2.2 Resolution of Water Use Conflicts______________________ 176 2.3 Other Agencies Having Water Resource Responsibilities____ 176 3. Surface Waters______________________________________________ 178 3.1 Method of Acquring Rights___________________________ 179 3.2 Nature and Limit of Rights___________________________ 179 3.3 Changes, Sales, and Transfers__________________________ 181 3.4 Loss of Rights______________________________________ 181 3.5 Storage Waters, Artificial Lakes, and Ponds______________ 182 3.6 Springs____________________________________________ 182 3.7 Diffused Surface Waters______________________________ 182 4. Ground Water______________________________________________ 183 Publications Available__________________________________________ 184 DISCUSSION 1. Development of Connecticut Water Law Since water supply has not been a serious problem in Connecticut, few conflicts have arisen over water use rights or competing uses, and no sophisticated body of case law has developed. As one would expect, the doctrine of riparian rights has been adopted as the basic water law,1 subject to limitations of reasonable use.2 The State has not yet found it necessary to create administrative machinery to govern water allocation, distribution, or use, although permits are required before water may be diverted from streams for municipal use, and well drillers are required to register and obtain permits be- fore drilling wells. The basic water problems in Connecticut seem to relate to water quality and environmental considerations, and here the legislature has created institutions and provided for ad- ministrative controls. 2. State Organizational Structure for Water Administration and Control 2.1 Administration of Water Bights Since the State has no organizational structure for approving or administering the acquisition or transfer of water rights, the defini- tion and evaluation of the rights of individual water users or con- testants have been left entirely to the courts in private litigation. However, a Department of Environmental Protection has been es- tablished and the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, as head 1Buddington v. Bradley, 10 Conn. 213 (1834). 2 Perkins v. Dow, 1 Root 535 (1793) ; Wadsworth v. Tillotson, 15 Conn. 366 (1843). 175 |