Using water naturally

Abstract

Using water naturally can seem to have little to do with using water ethically. Contemporary water use is by prior appropriation, where seniors have rights to water they first took. This develops into water use economically, when water is a property right that can be traded in markets. Neither use considers a still more fundamental need to use water ecoystemically. Many present and planned water uses are unnatural, and unwise. Asking about using water naturally can better orient us to what we ought to do, both prudentially and morally.