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Book Cover
E-book
Author Summitt, April R., author.

Title Contested waters : an environmental history of the Colorado River / April R. Summitt
Published Boulder : University Press of Colorado, [2013]
©2013

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Description 1 online resource (xvi, 286 pages) : illustrations
Contents Part I. A river through time. -- Conquering the wild Colorado : the river before 1945 -- Farming the desert : agricultural water demands -- Saving the river : the environmental movement --Sharing the shortage: a river in control -- Part II. Currents of today. -- The metropolis and the desert : growing cities in the west -- Owning the river : Indian water rights and settlements -- Crossing the border: US-Mexico relations and the river -- The water market: banking and selling the Colorado River -- Conclusion
Summary The Colorado River is a vital resource to urban and agricultural communities across the Southwest, providing water to 30 million people. This book tells the river's story - a story of conquest, control, division, and depletion. Beginning in prehistory and continuing into the present, this book focuses on three important and often overlooked aspects of the river's use: the role of western water law in its over-allocation, the complexity of power relationships surrounding the river, and the concept of sustainable use and how it has been either ignored or applied in the twenty-first century. It is organized in two parts: the first addresses the chronological history of the river and long-term issues, while the second examines in more detail four specific topics - metropolitan perceptions, American Indian water rights, US-Mexico relations over the river, and water marketing issues. Creating a complete picture of the evolution of this crucial yet over-utilized resource, this book will fascinate readers interested in the Colorado River or the environmental history of the Southwest
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 247-273) and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Water-supply -- Colorado River Valley (Colo.-Mexico) -- History
Water rights -- Colorado River Valley (Colo.-Mexico) -- History
HISTORY -- United States -- State & Local -- General.
HISTORY -- United States -- State & Local -- West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY)
Ecology
Water rights
Water-supply
SUBJECT Colorado River (Colo.-Mexico) -- History
Colorado River Valley (Colo.-Mexico) -- History
Colorado River (Colo.-Mexico) -- Environmental conditions
Subject North America -- Colorado River
North America -- Colorado River Valley
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
LC no. 2012048830
ISBN 9781607322115
1607322110