The world is currently experiencing unprecedented global change, with population increase, urbanisation, climate change and environmental degradation combining to make management of freshwater resources a critical policy focus of the twenty-first century. This timely book designs and develops an original, analytical framework for water law reform processes, using case studies across four jurisdictions. Addressing the four principal areas of water law - integrated water resource management (IWRM) and river basin planning, water rights and allocation, water pollution and quality, and water services - this book provides a comprehensive study of water law, within the context of global and regional policy agendas. Case studies from England, Scotland, South Africa and Queensland, Australia, are presented, providing comparators from both common law and mixed jurisdictions, from the northern and southern hemispheres, and from developed and developing countries. A legislative framework is proposed for water law reform processes, and the consequences of different reform options are considered and investigated. A valuable resource for academics and graduate students in environmental law, resource management, hydrology and social science, this book is also highly relevant to policymakers, NGOs and legal practitioners.