The widely used  quote, “Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over,” often attributed to Mark Twain, has been used by politicians from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Dianne Feinstein to describe California’s battles over water rights. The quote itself may in fact be bogus, but it does illustrate why water rights are a difficult, but critical, topic in California.

At the end of July, California’s State Water Resources Control Board started public hearings on the California WaterFix – Governor Jerry Brown’s plan to create two tunnels under the Delta that will deliver water from northern California to the State Water Project and Central Valley Project. The first set of hearings focuses on water rights, making the tunnels just one more topic stirring the fierce debate over rights in the state.

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In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court appointed Thompson as special master in the case of the Montana vs. Wyoming dispute over waters of the Yellowstone River system. “I have taught water law for over three decades and consulted for governments, businesses and environmental groups on a variety of water issues,” he said when recalling that experience, “but until I was a special master I honestly didn’t realize how precious every single drop of water is in many parts of the western U.S. Every gallon can make or break a person’s livelihood in rural areas with little water.”