Who Owns the Groundwater?
Bob, a rancher in Arizona, drilled a 50-meter-deep (164-foot) well that readily supplied all the water his family needed for 10 years. Then his new neighbor, Glen, drilled a network of new and deeper (150-meter-deep; 492-foot-deep) wells to irrigate a cotton crop in response to a jump in cotton prices. Within 6 months, Bob’s well had gone dry.
Bob took Glen to court, arguing that rocks stay but water moves—essentially, that a landowner cannot own the groundwater any more than he or she can own the air above the land. Glen’s lawyer disagreed, claiming that Glen owned everything under the ground surface of his ranch and could pump as much groundwater as his crops needed as long as the well was on his property.
Draw a diagram to illustrate why Bob’s well went dry. How could Bob ensure a continuous supply of groundwater?
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