George William Sherk

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Of Counsel
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1666 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
T (202) 775-6806
F (202) 293-2275

George William (“Jerry”) Sherk, of counsel, is a member of the Environment, Energy & Natural Resources, Water Resource Development and Climate-Related Business & Technology Groups in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Dr. Sherk is also an honorary associate at the UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science at the University of Dundee in Scotland. In addition, he has maintained a private law practice since 1990, after having served for several years as a trial attorney with the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Prior to joining ZAG/S&W, Dr. Sherk was managing director of the Colorado Energy Research Institute at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado, and an adjunct professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

Dr. Sherk advises clients in matters regarding the management and allocation of water resources. He provides counsel on water-related legal and policy issues, and represents clients in disputes involving the availability, use and quality of water resources. He also assists clients in pursuing opportunities involving water conservation and related renewable energy technologies.

He received his D.Sc. from The George Washington University with a major in environmental and energy management (Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science) and a minor in environmental health (Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health and Health Services). He received his J.D. from the University of Denver after completing undergraduate and graduate studies at Colorado State University.

Representative Client Work

  • Worked with the Special Master appointed by the Supreme Court in State of Oklahoma and State of Texas v. State of New Mexico
  • Assisted in the representation of California water interests in litigation and policy formulation regarding the Colorado River
  • Advised a community located on the Chattahoochee River downstream of Atlanta regarding federal law applicable to the ongoing conflicts between the states of Georgia, Alabama and Florida regarding shared water resources
  • Advised entities with water-related issues involved in the relicensing of hydropower projects by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
  • Advised a community regarding the extent of its ownership interest in a lake and potential liability regarding recreational activities at the lake
  • Advised opponents of a major water diversion project regarding potentially applicable federal statutes and regulations
  • Participated in the preparation of a seminal research report regarding the presence of pharmaceutical and personal care products in water supplies
  • Served as specialized counsel to several law firms on matters including evaluating the eligibility requirements under the state of Florida’s early detection program for leaking underground storage tanks, and preparing an agricultural landfill groundwater contamination case for trial

Speaking Engagements

  • "Securing Water Supplies for the Future: Risks, Challenges, and Opportunities - The Shape of Illusion: Water Law & Policy in the Fourth Dimension," Texas Wesleyan Journal of Real Property Law's 2012 Water Law Symposium (November 9, 2012)
  • "Uncertainty and Risk in Securing Adequate Water Supplies: Challenges and Opportunities," ZAG/S&W, Washington, D.C. (March 2012)
  • "Alternative Strategies for Managing Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products in Water Resources," Sullivan & Worcester LLP, Washington, D.C. (October 2011)
  • "Border Wars and Non-State Litigants before the Supreme Court," 29th Annual Water Law Conference, American Bar Association's Section of Environment, Energy and Resources (February 2011)
  • "Federalization of Texas Water Law?" Texas Water Law Institute (December 2010)
  • "Issues to Consider in Interstate Water Wars," University of West Georgia Water Conference 2010 (April 2010)
  • "From Basin and Bowl to Basin and Range: Water Conservation in the 'New' West," 2009 Georgia Water Resources Conference, The University of Georgia (April 2009)
  • "A National Water Policy: Flowing With or Against the Current?" National Water Policy and the Future of Texas Water: A Local and National Debate, Texas Tech University (January 2009)
  • "The Model Interstate Water Compact," Texas Water Law, CLE International (September 2007)
  • "We’re Always Ready for the Last Water Crisis," Tapping into the Flow: Water in West Georgia, the 2007 University of West Georgia Water Resources Conference (February 2007)
  • "Water Resource Development: Law, Science and Ethics," Texas Water Law, CLE International (September 2006)
  • "Reinventing the Interstate Compact: A New Model," 52nd Annual Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute (with Marilyn O’Leary, July 2006)
  • "The Utton Center Model Interstate Water Compact as a Prototype Transboundary Water Sharing Agreement" and "Determining Equitable Utilization of Transboundary Water Resources: Lessons from the United States Supreme Court," NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Facilitating Regional Security in Central Asia through Improved Management of Transboundary Water Basin Resources, Almaty, Kazakhstan (June 2006)
  • "Whiskey is for Drinking, Water is for Fighting: Conflicts Over Water, A National Perspective," Precious, Worthless or Immeasurable: The Value and Ethic of Water, School of Law, Texas Tech University (November 2005)
  • "Guidance from Down Under: The Murray-Darling Basin Agreement as a Prototype Federal-Interstate Water Compact," American Water Resources Association Specialty Conference Institutions for Sustainable Watershed Management: Reconciling Physical and Management Ecology in the Asia-Pacific (June 2005)
  • "Federal Legal Trends – Megatrends Revisited," University of New Mexico School of Law Second Annual Water Policy Seminar New Mexico and The West: Facing Our Water Reality (May 2005)

Publications

  • George Sherk Co-Authors Report Proposing Strategies for Reducing Pollutants in Drinking Water Systems, S&W Press Release (June 14, 2011)
  • Model Interstate Water Compact. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press (2009) (with Jerome C. Muys and Marilyn C. O’Leary)
  • "Water Policy," The Encyclopedia of Rural America. Millerton, NY: Grey House Publishing (2008) (with Jonathan P. Deason)
  • "The Law of Lake Lure," 8 University of Denver Water Law Review 463 (2005)
  • "The Management of Interstate Water Conflicts in the 21st Century: Is it Time to Call Uncle?" 12 New York University Environmental Law Journal 764 (2005)
  • "East Meets West: The Tale of Two Water Doctrines," 5(2) Water Resources Impact 5 (2003)
  • "Water Policy in the United States: A Perspective," 3 Water Policy 175 (2001) (with Jonathan P. Deason and Theodore M. Schad)
  • Dividing the Waters: The Resolution of Interstate Water Conflicts in the United States. London: Kluwer Law International (2000)
  • "Interstate Water Conflicts and Individual Rights: Perspectives from the United States Supreme Court," 25 Water International 519 (2000)

Professional & Civic Activities

  • Member, Vestry, Calvary Episcopal Church (2009-2010)
  • Member, Board of Directors, The Ved Nanda Center for the Study of International and Comparative Law, The University of Denver College of Law (2008-2010)
  • Member, Board of Directors, Clear Creek Watershed Foundation (2005-2010)
  • Peer review, Environmental Practice: Journal of the National Association of Environmental Professionals (2004-present)
  • Peer review, Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy (2004-present)
  • Member, Board of Directors, LakeNet (2006-2008)
  • Member, Board of Directors, Water Partners International (2000-2003)

News

Seminars & Speaking Engagements

Client Advisories

Practices

Industries

Bar & Court Admissions

  • Colorado, 1979
  • Territory of American Samoa, 1978
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims
  • Supreme Court of the United States

Education

  • D.Sc., The George Washington University, 2002
  • J.D., University of Denver College of Law, 1978
  • M.A., Colorado State University, 1974
  • B.A., Colorado State University, 1972