Prioritizing “No Significant Harm” over “Reasonable and Equitable” in Governance of Aquifers

The document examines the tension between two pre-eminent principles of transboundary aquifer governance: the requirement to reduce "significant harm" to other portions of the aquifer and the goal of ensuring "reasonable and equitable" water use. The author suggests that the former should take priority and utilizes case studies of the al-Disi and Ogallala aquifers to explore the constraints and issues associated with balancing these principles.

• Transboundary aquifer management is dominated by two primary principles: the obligation to minimize significant harm to the aquifer and related resources, and the requirement that water use be reasonable and equitable relative to other users and uses.
• Achieving a balance between the principles of 'no significant harm' and 'reasonable and equitable use' is difficult, as it is often unclear which principle should be prioritized or under what constraints.

APA

Brooks (2015). Prioritizing “No Significant Harm” over “Reasonable and Equitable” in Governance of Aquifers. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/prioritizing-no-significant-harm-over-reasonable-and-equitable-governance

Chicago

Brooks. Prioritizing “No Significant Harm” over “Reasonable and Equitable” in Governance of Aquifers. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2015. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/prioritizing-no-significant-harm-over-reasonable-and-equitable-governance.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Brooks |title=Prioritizing “No Significant Harm” over “Reasonable and Equitable” in Governance of Aquifers |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=20 March 2015 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/prioritizing-no-significant-harm-over-reasonable-and-equitable-governance |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{brooks2015prioritizing, author = {Brooks}, title = {{Prioritizing “No Significant Harm” over “Reasonable and Equitable” in Governance of Aquifers}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/prioritizing-no-significant-harm-over-reasonable-and-equitable-governance}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }