Cadillac Desert
Marc Reisner's Cadillac Desert has been sitting on my shelf for several years, since I first moved to California and lived with my brother for a spell. He recommended it as required reading for all Californians. And I have to agree. It seems to me water and its scarcity is not talked about enough in California. Currently in 2009 the California Department of Water Resources declares we are in year three of a drought. And indeed anyone driving by any of the reservoirs can see how low they are. Yet it's up to the individual to find out how to save water, shouldn't there be more of a public service announcement campaign urging people to conserve.
Getting back to the book, the full title of which is Cadillac Desert The American West And Its Disappearing Water. I have the 1993 edition which includes an updated afterward. The book is a very thorough history of how water was brought to the arid west. Much of it discusses the politics of the Bureau of Reclamation, the Army Corp of Engineers and various water districts. I got a little lost following some of it. The best parts of the book describe the early days of discovering rivers, how a dam is constructed and why it might fail. I also enjoyed reading about the climate and how settlers came to certain areas during years of rain only to find the rains were the exception rather than the norm as weather patterns shift. Another interesting area was the discussion of ancient civilizations built around irrigation and how they almost all fail. The inevitable build up of salts in the soil is one possible reason for the downfall of irrigated societies.
Marc Reisner makes many dire predictions in Cadillac Desert. Some of which, such as the disappearance of Salmon appear to be coming true, others not so much. In his afterward he delves a bit more into America's changing thoughts and values. His book has helped shape those views by being informative and easily readable. It certainly makes one more aware of where our water comes from and wonder how long will it last.
Getting back to the book, the full title of which is Cadillac Desert The American West And Its Disappearing Water. I have the 1993 edition which includes an updated afterward. The book is a very thorough history of how water was brought to the arid west. Much of it discusses the politics of the Bureau of Reclamation, the Army Corp of Engineers and various water districts. I got a little lost following some of it. The best parts of the book describe the early days of discovering rivers, how a dam is constructed and why it might fail. I also enjoyed reading about the climate and how settlers came to certain areas during years of rain only to find the rains were the exception rather than the norm as weather patterns shift. Another interesting area was the discussion of ancient civilizations built around irrigation and how they almost all fail. The inevitable build up of salts in the soil is one possible reason for the downfall of irrigated societies.
Marc Reisner makes many dire predictions in Cadillac Desert. Some of which, such as the disappearance of Salmon appear to be coming true, others not so much. In his afterward he delves a bit more into America's changing thoughts and values. His book has helped shape those views by being informative and easily readable. It certainly makes one more aware of where our water comes from and wonder how long will it last.
Labels: books
| 19:37
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home