Managing Water Resources in the West Under Conditions of Climate Uncertainty
Managing Water Resources in the West Under Conditions of Climate Uncertainty

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1991-02-01

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 0309046777

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The question of whether the earth's climate is changing in some significant human-induced way remains a matter of much debate. But the fact that climate is variable over time is well known. These two elements of climatic uncertainty affect water resources planning and management in the American West. Managing Water Resources in the West Under Conditions of Climate Uncertainty examines the scientific basis for predictions of climate change, the implications of climate uncertainty for water resources management, and the management options available for responding to climate variability and potential climate change.

Desert Cities
Desert Cities

Author: Michael F. Logan

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Pre

Published: 2012-01-12

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0822971100

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Phoenix is known as the "Valley of the Sun," while Tucson is referred to as "The Old Pueblo." These nicknames epitomize the difference in the public's perception of each city. Phoenix continues to sprawl as one of America's largest and fastest-growing cities. Tucson has witnessed a slower rate of growth, and has only one quarter of Phoenix's population. This was not always the case. Prior to 1920, Tucson had a larger population. How did two cities, with such close physical proximity and similar natural environments develop so differently?Desert Cities examines the environmental circumstances that led to the starkly divergent growth of these two cities. Michael Logan traces this significant imbalance to two main factors: water resources and cultural differences. Both cities began as agricultural communities. Phoenix had the advantage of a larger water supply, the Salt River, which has four and one half times the volume of Tucson's Santa Cruz River. Because Phoenix had a larger river, it received federal assistance in the early twentieth century for the Salt River project, which provided water storage facilities. Tucson received no federal aid. Moreover, a significant cultural difference existed. Tucson, though it became a U.S. possession in 1853, always had a sizable Hispanic population. Phoenix was settled in the 1870s by Anglo pioneers who brought their visions of landscape development and commerce with them.By examining the factors of watershed, culture, ethnicity, terrain, political favoritism, economic development, and history, Desert Cities offers a comprehensive evaluation that illuminates the causes of growth disparity in two major southwestern cities and provides a model for the study of bi-city resource competition.

Miracle on the Salt River
Miracle on the Salt River

Author: Meredith Haley Whiteley

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2014-10-28

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13: 1625852282

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Following enactment of the Reclamation Act, the first federally constructed dam broke ground in Arizona's Salt River Valley in 1905. With the inauguration of Roosevelt Dam, the distant dream of an abundant life in the desert became a reality. The dam and farmer-operated water distribution system tamed the vicious drought, created arable land and became an irrigation model for the West. With the water came farmers and families, all eager for the chance to build new lives and communities. Many were just like the Haley family, farmers from Kentucky and Missouri who settled in the area and whose descendants still call the valley home. Follow their journey and discover a snapshot of the life and community that grew from the ditches of the valley. Author Meredith Haley Whiteley explores this story from the ordinary person's perspective, weaving valley history through drought, loss, plenty and joy.

Desert Visions and the Making of Phoenix, 1860-2009
Desert Visions and the Making of Phoenix, 1860-2009

Author: Philip VanderMeer

Publisher: UNM Press

Published: 2010-12-16

Total Pages: 644

ISBN-13: 0826348939

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Whether touted for its burgeoning economy, affordable housing, and pleasant living style, or criticized for being less like a city than a sprawling suburb, Phoenix, by all environmental logic, should not exist. Yet despite its extremely hot and dry climate and its remoteness, Phoenix has grown into a massive metropolitan area. This exhaustive study examines the history of how Phoenix came into being and how it has sustained itself, from its origins in the 1860s to its present status as the nation’s fifth largest city. From the beginning, Phoenix sought to grow, and although growth has remained central to the city’s history, its importance, meaning, and value have changed substantially over the years. The initial vision of Phoenix as an American Eden gave way to the Cold War Era vision of a High Tech Suburbia, which in turn gave way to rising concerns in the late twentieth century about the environmental, social, and political costs of growth. To understand how such unusual growth occurred in such an improbable location, Philip VanderMeer explores five major themes: the natural environment, urban infrastructure, economic development, social and cultural values, and public leadership. Through investigating Phoenix’s struggle to become a major American metropolis, his study also offers a unique view of what it means to be a desert city.

Colorado River Basin Water Management
Colorado River Basin Water Management

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2007-06-30

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 0309105242

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Recent studies of past climate and streamflow conditions have broadened understanding of long-term water availability in the Colorado River, revealing many periods when streamflow was lower than at any time in the past 100 years of recorded flows. That information, along with two important trends-a rapid increase in urban populations in the West and significant climate warming in the region-will require that water managers prepare for possible reductions in water supplies that cannot be fully averted through traditional means. Colorado River Basin Water Management assesses existing scientific information, including temperature and streamflow records, tree-ring based reconstructions, and climate model projections, and how it relates to Colorado River water supplies and demands, water management, and drought preparedness. The book concludes that successful adjustments to new conditions will entail strong and sustained cooperation among the seven Colorado River basin states and recommends conducting a comprehensive basinwide study of urban water practices that can be used to help improve planning for future droughts and water shortages.