Water in the West

PREFACE

CHAPTER 1: WESTERN WATER CONFLICTS: BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
Introduction
Bringing Water to Los Angeles
Surface Water Sources and Challenges
Groundwater Sources and Challenges
The Evolution of Western Water Rights and Law
Native American Water Rights
Federalism and Interstate Water Agreements
Managing Water Across International Boundaries: Mexico and Canada
The Dam Builders of the West: The Bureau of Reclamation
The Other Dam Builders: The United States Army Corps of Engineers
Removing the Dams and Restoring the Rivers
The Other Water Agency: The United States Geological Survey
The Role of Non-Governmental and Non-Profit Organizations
Droughts, Megadroughts, and Water Scarcity
For Further Reading

CHAPTER 2: MOVING TOWARD WATER SUPPLY RESILIENCY: WESTERN WATER DEMANDS AND COPING STRATEGIES
Introduction
Dividing Up the Colorado River
Contingencies and Conservation of the Colorado River
Arizona: Agriculture and Growth
California: Thinking Big, Really Big
Nevada: Conservation and the Southern Nevada Water Authority
New Mexico: Planning Beyond the Acequia
The Pacific Northwest: Challenges to Managing Water in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington
The Rocky Mountain West: How Colorado, Utah and Wyoming Manage Water
Traditional vs. Alternative Water Management Strategies
Unconventional and Futuristic Strategies
For Further Reading

CHAPTER 3: PERSPECTIVES
Dr. Amrith Gunasekara, Director of Science and Research, California Bountiful Foundation
Taylor Hawes, Colorado River Program Director, The Nature Conservancy
Dr. Jay Lund, Vice-Director, Center for Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis
Dr. Sally Manning, Environmental Director, Big Pine Paiute Tribe

CHAPTER 4: PROFILES
Alan Bible, Senator (NV)
Delph Carpenter, Advocate for a Colorado River Compact
Colorado Water Trust
Floyd E. Dominy, Commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
John Samuel Eastwood, Dam Designer
Benjamin Harrison Eaton, Governor of Colorado
Carl Hayden, Senator (AZ)
Kyl Center for Water Policy
Elwood Mead, Commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
William Mulholland, Superintendent, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Patricia Mulroy, Superintendent, Southern Nevada Water Authority
Francis G. Newlands, Senator (NV)
John Wesley Powell, Colorado River Explorer
Marc Reisner, Environmental Writer
Philip David Swing, Member, House of Representatives (CA)
Water Education Foundation
Mark Wilmer, Water Rights Attorney

CHAPTER 5: DATA AND DOCUMENTS
List of Figures
Figure 5.1: Colorado River Allocation (Upper Basin by state)
Figure 5.2: Colorado River Allocation (Lower Basin, by state)
List of Tables
Table 5.1: Interstate Water Allocation Agreements of the West
List of Documents
Newlands Reclamation Act (1902)
Convention Between the United States and Mexico. Equitable Distribution of the Waters of the Rio Grande (1907)
U.S. Supreme Court, Winters v. United States, (1908)
Colorado River Compact (1922)
Boulder Canyon Project Act (1928)
U.S. Supreme Court, Arizona v. Navajo Nation, (2023)
WaterSense Statistics and Facts

CHAPTER 6: RESOURCES

CHAPTER 7: CHRONOLOGY
GLOSSARY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR