The State of Washington possesses ground-water resources that are hugh in some areas, adequate in others, and small in a few. But the adequacy of such a resource is governed by several factors--the physical characteristics of its occurrence and replenishment, the demands for various uses, and the legal framework within which those demands can be realized. Ground-water reservoirs, like surface-water streams and lakes, do not stop at the state line, so many of the ground-water basins of Washington are shared with Oregon, Idaho, and the Province of British Columbia. One of the limiting factors in the use of such a resource is the lack of uniformity of laws and rights affecting ground water between states and between a state and a province of different nations. (Author)