Introduction
"Cadillac Desert"

In 1986, Marc Reisner wrote a very compelling book entitled "Cadillac Desert".  It chronicles the efforts of Americans to transform the Western U.S. by manipulating the one resource that it has in very limited quantities: water.  Outside of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains, most of the land west of the 100th Meridian in the U.S. receives less than 20 inches of rainfall a year, with much of it receiving less than 10.  What little water is available to the area comes from either the few rivers and streams that twist through the area or from groundwater found deep below the surface.  Reisner's book tells how we have spent billions and billions of taxpayers dollars to attempt to change nature to suit our needs.

The dearth of such an important resource as water would normally have stopped people from moving into such a region in very large numbers.  However, a combination of greed, politics, bad science, bad government policy, insane agricultural practices, and the concept of "Manifest Destiny" have all combined in the West to create grand water projects that make the building of the Pyramids pale in comparison.  Of the major rivers in the West, all but one of them are dammed, most of them several times.  Canals have been dug to divert water from one watershed basin to another.  Lakes have sprung up in the middle of deserts, creating oases that lose more water from the rivers that feed them than they would naturally lose, otherwise.  In some places, water is even forced to flow uphill.  

Colorado River

The Grand Canyon is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.  No where on Earth is even close to imitating it.  The beauty and grandeur found within its walls is one of the most awe-inspiring sites imaginable.  And all of it was formed by the slow process of erosion as the Colorado River has made its ways from the mountains of Colorado to the Bay of California.

The Colorado River, though, is more than just the careative force for the Grand Canyon. It is one of the major rivers of the Western U.S. and is the primary source of water for many of the inhabitants of the surrounding area. It is also provides irrigation water for the farmlands of Southern California, which provide the world with a wonderful array of fruits and vegetables. Without it, over $1 billion dollars in winter fruits and vegetables would disappear.

From start to finish, the Colorado River is under intense scrutiny from the population that is prepared to use it. It has been dammed in several locations to create reservoirs that provide drinking and irrigation water, as well as boating and tourist attractions. The legal right to remove water from the river is reserved to those individuals and corporations that hold contracts that grant them the right to do so. Many of these water rights were determined years ago when the area had far fewer people, and many fewer farms. The growth in the area has been so great that the river is now at a point of no longer being able to meet the needs of the inhabitants. So much water is withdrawn from the Colorado River for irrigation and public use today that it no longer reaches the Bay of California. Almost every drop of the river is used in someway, leaving the mouth of it a broad muddy flat.

Recently, the Bush Administration has decided to reduce the amount of water that California gets from the Colorado River.  The water districts in Southern California had until December 31, 2002 to agree to reductions that would have tapered the amount of water that is withdrawn from the Colorado to meet their needs.  After much debate, no agreement was reached between the Imperial Valley Water Districts and surrounding water districts that would have allowed for the transfer of water to offset the reduction.  In retaliation, Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced in early January that the DOI would reduce the amount of water that California can withdraw from the Colorado River to 4.4 million acre feet per year.  There groups claim that the area is in better shape for water than thought, while others feel that this move was a purely political move by the Bush Administration.  Weather forecast for the coming year predict a drought in the region, so the situation could become very dire.

The fight over water rights on the Colorado is a long and tortured tale. The following websites will give you more information about the Colorado River and the controversy surrounding its use as a water source. Read through them and answer the questions below.

History and Overview

University of Arizona
Colorado State

Other Links

Sierra Club

After reading through these and any other sites that you might find, answer the following questions:

• One of the primary forces for the heavy demand of water from the Colorado is the human population. Over the next 25 years, the population of the area serviced by the river should grow from about 49 million people to about 64 million people. Should growth limits be placed on cities in the region? If so, what kind of repurcussions would this cause. If not, what measures should be taken to insure that Colorado River is not further degraded.
• Besides public consumption, the largest use of the Colorado River is for irrigation of crops. Because of the time when these water rights agreements were drawn up (early 1900's, one of the wettest periods on record for the region), most of this water is received by the farms at a very low price with little incentive to conserve water or to use smart management. Should these agreements be renegotiated to raise the price of water and to limit the amount of water that is withdrawn?