Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
WATER WARS AND MORE
With all these concerns and problems, it's easy to understand how
water wars can brew across North America, as well as around the
globe. Such confl icts aren't new, but they become increasingly more
contentious and tougher to swallow as demand intensifi es and sup-
plies grow scarcer in a country where the resource has been taken
for granted for centuries.
WATER TALES
Is there a battle over water in your neighborhood, town,
state, or region? You might be surprised at how pervasive
disputes over this “liquid gold” really are. Here's an abbre-
viated version of just a few of the battles, large and small.
The Colorado River Basin.
Bickering has been the norm
for decades over the water fl owing (or not fl owing) in this river,
which is essential to the southwestern United States and north-
ern Mexico. Among the states in the fray have been Arizona,
California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
One of the most contentious fi ghts occurred in the early part
of the twentieth century over the proposed construction of the
Boulder Dam, which is now called the Hoover Dam. The dispute
pitted states against each other, private business interests against
government ownership interests, the federal government against
states' rights, and more. The dam was built, but the groups, includ-
ing Mexico, still battle. Everyone wants a piece of the Colorado
River's bounty, which isn't bountiful enough to go around.*
North Central Texas versus Oklahoma and vice versa.
The
Tarrant County (Texas) Regional Water District and other
Dallas-area water suppliers want water from Oklahoma and
have gone to court over it. Oklahoma doesn't want to relin-
quish water across state lines and has passed legislation to that
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*U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado River Compact 1922
(November 24, 1922), www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g1000/pdfi les/crcompct.pdf.
