Contested Waters

Contested Waters
Author: April R. Summitt
Publisher: University Press of Colorado
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2013-04-15
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1607322110

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"To fully understand this river and its past, one must examine many separate pieces of history scattered throughout two nations--seven states within the United States and two within Mexico--and sort through a large amount of scientific data. One needs to be part hydrologist, geologist, economist, sociologist, anthropologist, and historian to fully understand the entire story. Despite this river's narrow size and meager flow, its tale is very large indeed." -From the conclusion The Colorado River is a vital resource to urban and agricultural communities across the Southwest, providing water to 30 million people. Contested Waters tells the river's story-a story of conquest, control, division, and depletion. Beginning in prehistory and continuing into the present day, Contested Waters 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 recent times. 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 comprehensive summary will fascinate anyone interested in the Colorado River or the environmental history of the Southwest.

Evolution of the Colorado River in Arizona

Evolution of the Colorado River in Arizona
Author: Edwin Dinwiddie McKee
Publisher:
Total Pages: 92
Release: 1967
Genre: Colorado River
ISBN:

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Summarizes the findings of a symposium on the Cenozoic geology of the Colorado Plateau held in 1964, tracing the geologic history of the region and the evolution of the Colorado River.

The Colorado Plateau

The Colorado Plateau
Author: Donald L. Baars
Publisher: UNM Press
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2000
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780826323019

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Written with the general reader in mind, this is the updated edition of the classic on the geology of the red rock and canyon country of the Fours Corners region of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

The Colorado River Through Grand Canyon

The Colorado River Through Grand Canyon
Author: Steven Warren Carothers
Publisher:
Total Pages: 280
Release: 1991
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

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Adjustment to the environmental alterations of the Glen Canyon Dam.

Grand Canyon, A Century of Change

Grand Canyon, A Century of Change
Author: Robert H. Webb
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2021-11-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0816547491

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Photographs made in Grand Canyon a century ago may provide us today with a sense of history; photographs made a century later from the same vantage points give us a more precise picture of change in this seemingly timeless place. Between 1889 and 1890, Robert Brewster Stanton made photographs every 1-2 miles through the river corridor for the purpose of planning a water-level railroad route and produced the largest collection of photographs of the Colorado River at one point in time. Robert Webb, a USGS hydrologist conducting research on debris flows in the Canyon, obtained the photographs and from 1989 to 1995 replicated all 445 of the views captured by Stanton, matching as closely as possible the original camera positions and lighting conditions. Grand Canyon, a Century of Change assembles the most dramatic of these paired photographs to demonstrate both the persistence of nature and the presence of humanity. Unexpected longevity of some plant species, effects of animal grazing, and expansion of cacti are all captured by the replicate photographs. More telling is evidence of the impact of Glen Canyon Dam: increased riparian vegetation, new marshes, aggraded debris fans, and eroded sand bars. In the accompanying text, Webb provides a thorough analysis of what each pair of photographs shows and places the project in its historical context. Complementing his narrative are six sidebar articles by authorities on Canyon natural history that further attest to a century of change. The level of detail obtained from the photographs represents one of the most extensive long-term monitoring efforts ever conducted in a national park; it is the most detailed documentation effort ever performed using repeat photography. Much more than simply a picture book, Grand Canyon, a Century of Change is an environmental history of the river corridor, a fascinating book that clearly shows the impact of human influence on Grand Canyon and warns us that its future is very much in our hands.