Water and Arid Lands of the Western United States :A World Resources Institute Book

Publication subTitle :A World Resources Institute Book

Author: Mohamed T. El-Ashry; Diana C. Gibbons  

Publisher: Cambridge University Press‎

Publication year: 1989

E-ISBN: 9780511873799

P-ISBN(Paperback): 9780521350402

Subject: TV213.4 water resources of the management, conservation and reconstruction

Keyword: 生态学(生物生态学)

Language: ENG

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Water and Arid Lands of the Western United States

Description

Despite impressive innovations by some states, western water laws and institutions now in place were designed chiefly for an earlier era and have not adapted to the new demands and stresses on water resources. In Water and the Arid Lands of the Western United States the authors explore the nature of water demands in the agricultural and municipal sectors and set forth prescriptions for the west to move away from its historical reliance on expensive supply-side projects and toward better management of existing supplies. Six cases studies by experts in the field illustrate specific examples of water management issues. Taking as foci the Central Valley of California, the High Plains of Texas, and the Upper Basin of the Colorado River, three of the case studies examine problems faced by the large urban areas of southern California; Tucson, Arizona; and Denver, Colorado. A concluding chapter suggests practical policy options and politically feasible institutional changes for maximizing the efficiency of water use and minimizing the conflict associated with the reallocation of limited water supplies.

Chapter

Washington, war, and depression: catalysts for economic development and environmental change, 1900-1940

War, Washington, and renewed environmental exploitation, 1940-1960s

A questioning of values, 1960s-1980s

3 The Central Valley of California

Physical and economic setting

Historical development

Emerging water problems in the Central Valley

Alternative policy solutions to the emerging water problems

4 Land and water management issues: Texas High Plains

Description of the region

History of the area

Adjustment issues

Policy alternatives

Summary

5 Water resources of the Upper Colorado River Basin: problems and policy alternatives

Background

Hydrology, water use patterns, and the value of water in the subbasins of the Upper Colorado River Basin

Water quality issues in the Colorado Basin

The potential for intrastate and interstate water markets involving the Upper Basin

Principal findings and policy recommendations

Appendix: Detailed derivation of state income impacts

6 Growth and water in the South Coast Basin of California

The historical setting

The current situation

Alternative policies for adapting to water scarcity

Conclusions

7 Toward sustaining a desert metropolis: water and land use in Tucson, Arizona

Statewide Arizona water problem and policy response

The city of Tucson and the Tucson AMA

Water and land issues for the coming years

The politics of growth and water in Tucson

Conclusion

Appendix 7.1: Optimal intertemporal water allocation: efficiency considerations

Appendix 7.2: Questionnaire on water management and population growth

8 Water management issues in the Denver, Colorado, urban area

Background

Evolution of the Denver metropolitan area water system

Water supply and demand issues

Alternatives in water supply and demand management

New rules versus new alliances

9 New water policies for the West

Urban water policies

Agricultural water policies

Environmental policies

Interstate water policies

Conclusions

Appendix: Advisory Panel, Arid Lands Project

Index

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