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A review by socraticgadfly
Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition by Marc Reisner
5.0
A simply great book about the past, present and future of water in the U.S. The focus is on the dry side of America, but not just west of the Rockies. The High Plains and the Ogalalla Aquifer, as well as the Upper Missouri, get extended treatment.
So too does the fact that "rugged Westerners" are ultimately usually socialists when it comes to the issue of water and it being supplied to farms at below cost by the federal government, and acreage limits then being broken.
It's not just the lack of water and cost of water Reisner covers. He also notes that with alkaline soils of much of the West, irrigation tends to raise salt levels. Yes, we may eventually genetically engineer more salt-tolerant crops, but how far can we take this?
The only regret is that Reisner died before being able to pen another issue of this book to take global warming into account fully.
Anyway, especially on the Colorado, as Phoenix and Las Vegas struggle with jobs and diminishing water supplies at the same time, this book reminds us of Ed Abbey's phrase: "The desert always wins."
I've re-read this more than once, every few years, and get new insights every time.
So too does the fact that "rugged Westerners" are ultimately usually socialists when it comes to the issue of water and it being supplied to farms at below cost by the federal government, and acreage limits then being broken.
It's not just the lack of water and cost of water Reisner covers. He also notes that with alkaline soils of much of the West, irrigation tends to raise salt levels. Yes, we may eventually genetically engineer more salt-tolerant crops, but how far can we take this?
The only regret is that Reisner died before being able to pen another issue of this book to take global warming into account fully.
Anyway, especially on the Colorado, as Phoenix and Las Vegas struggle with jobs and diminishing water supplies at the same time, this book reminds us of Ed Abbey's phrase: "The desert always wins."
I've re-read this more than once, every few years, and get new insights every time.