Where will the water come from to sustain the great desert cities of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Phoenix? In a provocative exploration of the past, present, and future of water in the West, James Lawrence Powell begins at Lake Powell, the vast reservoir that has become an emblem of this story. At present, Lake Powell is less than half full. Bathtub rings ten stories tall encircle its blue water; boat ramps and marinas lie stranded and useless. To refill it would require surplus water—but there is no surplus: burgeoning populations and thirsty crops consume every drop of the Colorado River. Add to this picture the looming effects of global warming and drought, and the scenario becomes bleaker still. Dead Pool, featuring rarely seen historical photographs, explains why America built the dam that made Lake Powell and others like it and then allowed its citizens to become dependent on their benefits, which were always temporary. Writing for a wide audience, Powell shows us exactly why an urgent threat during the first half of the twenty-first century will come not from the rising of the seas but from the falling of the reservoirs.
ISBN-13: 9780520268029
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication Date: 02-22-2011
Pages: 304
Product Dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)
James Lawrence Powell, Executive Director of the National Physical Science Consortium at the University of Southern California, is author of Grand Canyon: Solving Earth's Grandest Puzzle, among other books.
What People are Saying About This
From the Publisher
"A historically important, well-timed, and memorable addition to the growing library of books about water and the West."—Wilson Quarterly
"A solid primer on the history of use of Colorado River water and the science of
climate change."—Science (Aaas)
"A suspense thriller, a history . . . and an informed warning. . . . Deserves to be read now, before we make even more mistakes."—High Country News
"A must read for Colorado River buffs, as well as anyone who wants a glimpse of what lies ahead for water."—Earth Magazine
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Table of Contents
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PART ONE
RIVER OF SURPRISE
1 / The Dam Is Not Going to Break /
2 / Playing Dice with Nature /
PART TWO
RIVER OF EMPIRE
3 / Appointment in Samarra /
4 / One Simple Fact /
5 / The Reality of Empire /
6 / This Vast Plain of Opulent Soil /
7 / Lonely Lands Made Fruitful /
PART THREE
RIVER OF CONTROVERSY
8 / Natural Menace Becomes National Resource /
9 / Shall We Let Them Ruin Our National Parks? /
10 / We Want to Be Dammed /
11 / To Have a Deep Blue Lake /
12 / The Biggest Boondoggle /
PART FOUR
RIVER OF LIMITS
13 / Time Machines /
14 / A New Climatology /
15 / Rainmakers /
16 / Let People in the Future Worry about It /
17 / A Hundred Green Lagoons /
PART FIVE
RIVER OF TOMORROW
18 / River of Law /
19 / The West against Itself /
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
NOTES
INDEX
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