You will learn:

By looking at the progression of Western settlement, this webinar begins by providing an overview of the development and basic concepts of the Prior Appropriation Doctrine which governs western water law. The foundational blocks of beneficial use, priority distribution, and non-impairment were prescient in creating stability and order by prospectively determining who gets water in times of shortage. Though developed over 150 years ago, the Prior Appropriation Doctrine is proving itself to be surprisingly flexible in adapting to challenging modern water demands. The webinar concludes by showing specific examples of how the State of Utah as made widespread modifications to its water law to meet pressing and critical water needs in the State. While much work is to be done, Utah is a growing success story in taking strategic and concrete actions to modernize its water law. Utah has learned much from its sister states and can serve as a working model for how other State’s could approach hard legal challenges.

You will hear:

Emily E. Lewis, Director and Shareholder, Co-Chair of Natural Resources and Water Law Practice Group, Clyde Snow & Sessions, Salt Lake City, UT

Emily Lewis assists clients in navigating and solving complex water problems.

She has 14 years of experience advising individual water right owners, water wholesalers, municipalities, mining companies, developers, mutual shareholder irrigation companies, and other water users. Her strategic projects practice extends to innovative policy work and specialty water project management. For example, she recently acted as the Utah Statewide Water Marketing Strategies Project Manager, produced a comprehensive Water Law Policy Inventory and Assessment to inform the Great Salt Lake Strategic Plan, and hosts a weekly water podcast Ripple Effect – A Podcast Putting Water in Context.

Emily is quickly becoming known as an innovative thought leader in the water space. She is adept at using humor, candor, and creativity to come to workable water solutions. Her breadth of knowledge allows her to quickly identify the issues, make connections between information silos, and engage the right people. She is developing a niche expertise that combines knowledge of technical solutions, such as telemetry and modeling, market tools, legal and policy recommendations, and collaborative voluntary arrangements for water sharing. This expertise allows her to craft practical solutions that meet the moment and are adaptive to a changing world.

Emily is fortunate to be working on some of the Western United States most pressing water problems, including:

• Compliance with the Colorado River Compact and Colorado River issues and Demand Management
• Promoting and building water markets in Utah and surrounding states
• Engaging in policy and legislative initiatives to modernize western Water Law
• Preparing legal strategies to bring water to the Great Salt Lake, a waterbody of international importance
• Working with large agricultural producers to implement water conservation practices and contemporary operations
• Navigating complex federal water contracts and federal water projects
• Designing drought and climate resiliency action plans
• Advising on complicated issues of conjunctive management between competing surface and ground water rights

As an ancillary part of her practice, Emily hosts a well-regarded weekly podcast, Ripple Effect (clydesnow.com/podcasts/), discussing hot water issues with water experts around the world. She is also a frequent guest on other national podcasts discusses water law and water policy. She is working on expanding her media efforts to create water education videos that explain complicated legal concepts with engaging visuals. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Water Law at the SJ Quinney College of Law, at the University of Utah and serves as a mentor to young law students.

Emily is passionate about her work. Water is essential to all aspects of life and requires careful and conscientious stewardship. She is grateful to work in a community of caring professionals committed to building a better tomorrow.

You can review:

• Ripple Effect: A Podcast Putting Water in Context
• Water Law: 101 Video
• Utah Water Marketing Strategies and Water Banking Act – Interactive Tools
• Utah Business Magazine’s 30 Women to Watch (2023)
• Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan – Water Policy Inventory and Assessment