Where the Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River

Water will be THE issue of this century, of this I have no doubt. However we frame the debate, we are learning that our attempts at preservation can be foiled quite easily bu the law of unintended consequences. Owen reframes the issues I first read about in Cadillac Desert back in the 1980's/

“Lake Havasu marks the beginning of the final and most complex stage of the transformation of the Colorado River from a natural stream into a dispersed and brachiating resource-distribution system. At the lake’s southern end, some water is diverted west, to Southern California, and some is diverted east to central Arizona, and some continues downstream to diversions further south. The lake was created in 1938 by the construction of the Parker Dam, a graceful concrete curve roughly 750 feet from end to end, topped by a blocky colonnade. The website of the Bureau of Reclamation describes Parker Dam as “one part of a system of storage and diversion structures built by Reclamation to control and regulate the once unruly Colorado River,” but it was really built to provide water for metropolitan Los Angeles, nearly 350 miles to the west.” – page 124Being from the Northeast water shortages are happily one of the farthest things from my mind. Although I have heard about “water rights” in feature films and old TV westerns I knew precious little about the subject. Furthermore, I have always been fascinated about how the American Southwest was ultimately settled and the major role that water played in determining winners and losers. Who were the visionaries who saw the enormous potential of this once arid region and what role did politics play in determining how events unfolded? What obstacles had to be overcome? And just how does all of that water get to Southern California? As you might imagine this an extremely broad and complicated topic that presents a multiplicity of conflicting issues. David Owen is a staff writer for the New Yorker and the author of more than a dozen books. He has obviously done his due diligence and presents his findings in the thoughtful and informative new book “Where the Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River”. You will discover that the issues depicted here are ongoing and ever-changing. I simply could not put this one down.It is certainly difficult for the average person to grasp the enormity of these issues without having at least a passing knowledge of the key components of the massive water diversion system that brings all of this water to central Arizona and southern California. In “Where the Water Goes” you will get a crash course in important places like Hoover Dam, Lake Havasu, Parker Dam, the Colorado River Aqueduct, Lake Powell, Imperial Dam, the Salton Sea and the Central Arizona Project and the role that each plays in getting the mission accomplished. You will also be introduced to terminology that will enhance your understanding of the issues involved. And in the final chapter called “What Is to Be Done?” David Owen offers some possible options to ease troublesome water scarcity both in the short run and in the long term.I found “Where the Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River” to be a real eye-opener that really enhanced my knowledge of these most important issues. At several points along the way I enhanced my reading by viewing some YouTube videos. I would especially recommend a documentary made in the 1930’s called “Colorado River Aqueduct” which really helped me to visualize what was actually going on. “Where the Water Goes” would be an excellent choice for history buffs, those concerned about the environment and general readers alike. Very highly recommended!

If I could give 4.5 stars, I would. I learned a fair bit from this book.I’m still confused about a lot of western water issues, particularly how individual farmers’ and water districts’ water rights fit in with state water rights under the Colorado River compact. I’m also confused about whether a given water right for individual users is at a pre-specified price due to Federal infrastructure projects or whether a water right basically makes it free to take the water for the specified use. I’m also not clear on the enforcement mechanisms the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) has when the water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead trigger “automatic” cuts… if the states don’t voluntarily comply, can the BOR just turn off certain projects?Also, why are we letting California consistently overuse its allotment without any sort of sanction? At least that’s my understanding of what has been going on from reading this book. I understand that CA is now on some sort of plan to bring its usage down to its allocation under the compact but I would have thought there were much sharper enforcement mechanisms than a gradual “please try not to overuse”.I hope a future edition can go into a bit more detail on these sorts of issues.

A friend recommended this book to me. It definitely did not disappoint. I have never read anything of significance about water, and I’m sure glad that I read this book. I figured it was about time that I tried to learn something about the substance that my life (and that of every other living organism) has depended upon since my in utero conception. I learned a lot and especially liked reading about what happens with the Colorado River right where I grew up in Western CO. I sure appreciated Owen’s objective approach to water consumption and environmental issues. There truly are multiple ripple effects of conservation efforts, and he describes them and does not proselytize. 👍

It would have been helpful to see maps of the areas mentioned the book.

Living next to the Colorado River in Western Arizona, the drought in the Southwest is our most important crisis. The river is our most important asset. It's easy to get caught up in headlines that don't explain the facts about why the river is low and how the river is allocated. This book takes you from one end of the river to the other. At the end of the journey, you understand why we're having a crisis and the possibilities to solve it.When people ask me about the drought, whether it's someone from out of town or a discussion on social media, this is the book I recommend.

Very good travelogue. I found it more fulfilling to read by using a search engine and a map to "visit" the places he mentions. Especially nice was the later chapter South of the Border. I also enjoyed the last chapter about options for the future, instead of the one-sided unrealistic "tear down the dams (which personally I would like!). he lists a series of small improvements which - taken together - would make a huge difference. A better book than the one he indicates but doesn't recommend for the "Law of the river": Rivers of Empire by Donald Worster. He cites Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner: do yourself a favor: read it first then come back to this one. It is old (1986) an could use an updating but still immensely relevant. One criticism: the proofreading is sloppy leaving behind wrong numbers (millions vs billions), a few mangled sentences and wrong words.

Could be an interesting topic but the authors ego gets in the way. He even lets us know that when he had a landscaping job with a no engine noise rule before 7 AM that he would scrape shovels across a parking lot to wake up everybody. Should be a more dispassionate look at the Colorado River system and let the situation speak for itself.