In much of the American West, local special districts with undemocratic governance structures and archaic boundaries dominate water governance. In some places, they are expanding their reach into new policy realms. This Article explains how these governance systems evolved, why they are problematic, and how state governments can respond.

中文翻译：

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水区和州

在美国西部的大部分地区，具有不民主治理结构和陈旧边界的地方特区主导着水治理。在一些地方，他们正在将影响范围扩大到新的政策领域。本文解释了这些治理系统是如何演变的，为什么它们存在问题，以及州政府如何应对。