|
Water in the West
The Past and Present Challenges of Surviving in an Arid Land
Explorer and scientist John Wesley Powell foresaw the challenges of settling the West with limited water resources.
Credit: Library of Congress
|
Parker Dam on the Colorado River, seen here in an aerial shot taken in 1972. The dam forms the eastern end of the 150-mile metropolitan aqueduct that supplies drinking water to Los Angeles and intermediate cities.
Credit: National Archives
|
Aug. 26-29, 2003 -- America's westward expansion fulfilled the Jeffersonian dream of a nation that spanned coast to coast, but it also created a lasting dilemma: How do you create towns and cities that can survive and thrive in a region with scarce water resources? Early homesteaders saw their agrarian dreams dashed against a desert landscape. Even today, the region stuggles to find the water needed to quench the thirst of agriculture, industry and fast-growing cities. NPR kicks off a year-long look at Water in the West with a four-part series on All Things Considered.
Tuesday, Aug. 26
 The Vision of John Wesley Powell
With the promise of free public land, the Homestead Act of 1862 sent waves of settlers across the American West. But early on, explorer and scientist John Wesley Powell foresaw that without a proper water plan, settlements in the arid West would face lasting problems. As NPR's Howard Berkes reports, if Congress had listened to Powell, the West would be a very different place.
Wednesday, Aug. 27
The Colorado River
The Colorado River is the main artery of the interior West. Its history is one of dams, deals and dynasty. Seven arid states use the river. As their populations grow, so do the conflicts. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold explains how the river was divvied up, some of the engineering feats that created the "plumbing" and how it is that the mighty river is often sucked dry before ever reaching the sea.
Thursday, Aug. 28
The Battle over Water Rights
Who does and doesn't get water today often depends on deals that were struck a century ago when the West was settled. Some were the result of scams aimed at making fortunes for a few clever manipulators. Many go back more than a century, when the land was first homesteaded. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold investigates the decades-old problem of water distribution by looking at the claims on Montana's Musselshell River.
Friday, Aug. 29
Water as a Cash Crop
Agriculture uses the vast majority of water in Western states -- close to 90 percent in some places. But as more and more desert is converted to cities full of millions of people, urban dwellers are demanding a bigger share of the region's water. In some places, farmers are giving up the plow and selling their rights to their liquid asset. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.
|
