The Changing Fate of Western Rivers: The Case of the Colorado.
Kenney, Douglas S.听 2020. The Changing Fate of Western Rivers: The Case of the Colorado. IN: The听Environmental Politics and Policy of Western Public Lands (edited by Erika Allen Wolters and Brent S. Steel).听 Corvallis: Oregon State University Press.听
鈥傗傗傗傗傗侷n a volume primarily devoted to western lands, this chapter explores the central role听played by water resources听development听in guiding the development of the region, where John Wesley Powell unsuccessfully lobbied for the organization of western states around watershed boundaries, and where Wallace Stegner famously remarked that听鈥淲ater is the true wealth in a dry land.鈥澨 Despite听many laws and policies that largely ignore听this special connection of land and water, the fate of both is increasingly intertwined by the phenomenon of climate change, something explored herein听with a case study of the Colorado River.听In pondering a future driven by water scarcity, Kenney concludes: 鈥淭he traditional notion that water听development is a necessary precursor to land development and economic expansion is not necessarily invalid, but听is now much too simplistic. Today, a failure to innovate in the water sector may not merely close the door to future expansion, but听may threaten the viability of existing economies and communities. Just maintaining听the status quo is, in many cases, a formidable achievement.鈥澨
