The Changing Fate of Western Rivers: The Case of the Colorado.
Kenney, Douglas S. 2020. The Changing Fate of Western Rivers: The Case of the Colorado. IN: TheEnvironmental Politics and Policy of Western Public Lands (edited by Erika Allen Wolters and Brent S. Steel). Corvallis: Oregon State University Press.
In a volume primarily devoted to western lands, this chapter explores the central roleplayed by water resourcesdevelopmentin 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“Water is the true wealth in a dry land.” Despitemany laws and policies that largely ignorethis special connection of land and water, the fate of both is increasingly intertwined by the phenomenon of climate change, something explored hereinwith a case study of the Colorado River.In pondering a future driven by water scarcity, Kenney concludes: “The traditional notion that waterdevelopment is a necessary precursor to land development and economic expansion is not necessarily invalid, butis now much too simplistic. Today, a failure to innovate in the water sector may not merely close the door to future expansion, butmay threaten the viability of existing economies and communities. Just maintainingthe status quo is, in many cases, a formidable achievement.”
