Marc Reisner (1948–2000)

Marc Reisner's book, originally written in 1986, provides a detailed overview of water management (and sometimes mismanagement) in the United States. His primary focus is on the Southwest, since that's the most water deprived region of the Country, and where the need for water is greatest. Reisner begins with an overview of the natural features and climate of the region, and what life was like for the historical peoples prior to the exploration and settlement by Europeans and early Americans. Centuries ago, ancient Native American peoples such as Hohokam or Anasazi, may have been forced to abandon the Southwest due to periods of sustained drought. Smaller Native American settlements continued in the region after the Hohokam disappeared, but those tribes tended to move from location to location to find game and water.

In the early part of the book, Reisner, describes some of the exploits of early European and American explorers of the region, including Spanish explorer Francisco Coronado seeking gold, Lewis & Clarke after the Louisiana Purchase, and Mountain Men such as Jedidiah Smith and Zebulon Pike. He also describes John Wesley Powell's successful exploration of the Colorado River, which is a story in itself. In general, these explorers found the Southwest dry, arid, and basically unsuitable for widespread settlements for farmers or ranchers.

It wasn't until the Mormons began settling in Utah, and then the discovery of gold in the late 1800's, that interest in the region grew. The discovery of gold and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad brought settlers in droves to the region. Railroad representatives encouraged land sales along their right of way, but lack of water limited the suitability for growing crops, grazing cattle, or settlements. Despite that limitation, gold fever swelled the population, exacerbating the need for water. Early settlers along rivers and streams could manage, but water wasn't always available to downstream settlers or those further from the water. And since rain in many areas is infrequent, much of the land remained unsuitable for sustained agricultural use. Because of the lack of adequate surface water, any additional water had to come from underground aquifers. But technology at the time didn't allow for anything more than personal use. It wasn't until much later, when large capacity centrifugal pumps were developed, that underground aquifers could be used for large irrigation projects. But after that happened, those aquifers began to be depleted rapidly. Level drops as high a 5' / year, with replenishment of 0.25" / year was not uncommon, and clearly was not sustainable. Additional sources of water were needed.

While early settlers were hard working and determined, their individual efforts to capture water rarely led to long term success. It became obvious that the scale of reclamation needed to be a collective task. People formed private water companies, or petitioned to their Territories or States to make water available on a wider basis.

Reisner then gives us detailed looks at several early Western water projects, and the people instrumental in bringing them about. For example, he discusses how Los Angeles was able to be transformed from a tiny settlement to the megalopolis of today by the infusion of water from the Owens Valley and other areas. William Mulholland, head of the water district in Los Angeles, envisioned and created the infrastructure that brought water to LA, to the benefit of the Los Angeles citizens and the demise of the people around Owens Lake. Yet even after this mega-project, which allowed Los Angeles to grow, it soon proved to be insufficient, and tapping into the Colorado River was seen as a necessary next step.

The Reclamation Act of 1902, described by Reisner as an early flirtation with socialism, allowed the federal government to spend huge amounts of money creating massive irrigation projects in the Western for the benefit of a few. Once the Government became involved, many dams were built, and water became more available, encouraging settlements. The story of some of the great dam projects, such as the Hoover Dam and the Grand Coolie Dam, makes for interesting reading. But even with the development of early dams, availability of water continued to be an ongoing issue.
Many States were after water from the Colorado River, and a pact among several states was agreed upon in 1922. That pact governs water distribution rights among seven States, specifically California, Nevada, Arizona, known as the lower basis States, and New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, known as upper basin States. The Pact also promises Colorado River water to several Native American tribes as well as to Mexico. The Pact may work well in years of high rain and snowfall, but in dry periods, water availability falls below anticipated amounts. Unfortunately for some, shortages aren't shared proportionally among the states. For example, in periods of drought when available water from the Colorado River runs low, California has senior water rights, and by agreement, Arizona may have to shut off water to ensure California gets allotted amount of Colorado River water.

Today, the Colorado River is probably the most overused River in the West. An additional problem, as pointed out by Reisner, is that when the water compact which governs water use from the Colorada was prepared, it was based on unusually high rainfall periods over the previous years. Thus, the volume of Colorado River water falls short of allotments year after year. So additional sources of water needed to be found to support continued population expansion.

Other western rivers soon were targeted as water sources. Dams in the west were built for flood control by the Army Corps of Engineers and for irrigation projects by the Bureau of Reclamation. Reisner spends quite a bit of time telling us of the squabble between these two entities, and about some of the key individuals managing their efforts. One prominent individual was Floyd Dominy, Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation in the 1960's. Dominy was a zealot for irrigation in the West, and fought for a number of great dams and water projects. A flawed individual, but a powerful lobbyist, Dominy was a force in Washington, and got many western irrigation projects authorized and funded by Congress.

Unfortunately, in describing how these agencies built dams in the region, and how they fought for support from Congress for their plans, we see how flawed the system was. Many projects couldn't be justified on a cost / benefit analysis, and many of these projects remain troubled to this day. There are stories of dam failures, how some dams did more harm than good, and how several are rapidly silting up, making them very short lived projects, and how water availability is still inadequate to meet conflicting needs.

Even today, as I read this book, disputes over appropriating water among various users continue. Just this week (mid-February, 2020), President Trump and Department of Interior management rewrote State approved agreements between fishing, environmental, and big farming groups in California. New Federal plans now favor farming interests, diverting water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta region, and sending more water to farming interests in the Central Valley. These new rules are contrary to the plans of the State of California which sought to balance conflicting needs. The new plan was overseen by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, who before becoming Secretary of the Interior, was an attorney and lobbyist for the San Joaquin Valley's Westlands Water District. He also previously represented the Water District in a lawsuit that sought to undo court-imposed protections for endangered salmon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Now, as Secretary of the Interior, he was able to achieve what he couldn't do as a lobbyist, e.g., sacrifice the Bay-Delta and its most endangered species for the financial interests of the President’s political backers and Interior Secretary Bernhardt’s former clients. The fight for water is a continuing battle, especially in the Southwest, and is unlikely to change. But this example shows that not only can water be seen to flow downhill, but water also flows to money and power.

Throughout the book, one reads about a number of unnecessary, even unwanted water projects, but ones which were authorized because of lobbying or special interests. If you have a poor opinion of the way Government and Congress works, reading this book won't do anything to change your opinion. It's filled with examples of "pork barrel" projects, special interests, and parochialism among politicians. Western congressmen may strongly oppose spending money on funding Eastern mass transit projects, but support public spending on western water projects which benefit few wealthy farmers, especially those who are well connected. But of course, eastern politicians do the same supporting their pet projects at the expense of western projects.

In summary, "Cadillac Desert" and the 2017 update is an eye-opener for how water is made available in the western United States, and makes one appreciative on just how important clean, adequate water is to life everywhere. When you read about water shortages, contaminated water, or disappearing lakes around the world, like Lake Chad in Niger, Cameroon, Niger and Chad in Africa, or the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the Dead Sea in Israel and Jordan, Lake Poopo in Bolivia, or Poyang Lake in China, you appreciate how important water management and conservation is to everyone, especially in a world with growing populations and changing climate.… (altro)