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Show Hooton, Jr. LeRoy W. What is Our Water Legacy? Presented at the AWRAAnnual Conference April 22,1997, at the University Park Hotel. www. slcgov. com Key Words: Regional History, Water Appropriations, Conservation, CUP Hooton explains the water legacy of Utah through the eyes and experiences of early settlers. He explains the establishment of irrigation, and how it allowed the western expansion. He also shows how Brigham Young's new water system of appropriations supplanted the Eastern riparian rights and further allowed settlement by removing avarice from a public but scarce resource. Extensive explanations of key individuals of Utah's water history are then presented. Names include: Brigham Young the colonizer, Jesse Fox the surveyor and engineer, A. F. Doremus state engineer, Theodore Roosevelt water reclamation in the West, John Westley Powell scientist and explorer, E. O. Larson USBR engineer, William Ross Wallace State Water Boards, and George Dewey Clyde state governor and advocate of the Upper Colorado River Storage Project. I appreciated this paper as it gave me a better understanding of the rich heritage this valley has with its water. I can see a unifying aspect that could occur today by referencing or teaching about the unity required in the past for survival and for establishing our communities. I also better understand how and why the water situation has evolved into careless misuse. Although equitable water appropriations were necessary for survival and are probably still preferable, the equitable distribution can lead to careless misuse as water is not priced according to market forces. Kasindorf, Martin. Wednesday, Oct 2nd, 2002. USA TODAY War over water splits California cities, farms, pp 11 A- 12A. Key Words: Water Wars, Colorado River, Water Shortage Solutions California has long used more than its allotment of Colorado River water. Recently, the state takes 20% more than it is allowed. For years other western states have allowed this " because they didn't need the water. Now, increasingly, they do" ( 12A). As a result, the Federal Government is threatening to cut the states' water use from the Colorado River on Jan 1st of 2003 by " an amount equivalent to the annual needs of 1.5 million families" ( 11 A). The Federal Government's plan is to restrict California to its allotted amount by the year 2016 in order to provide the promised water amounts to the other 6 western states affected. The conflict ensuing is between the cities and farms of southern California. The cities are scrambling to find a way to tap into the farm water ( which uses 80% of the Colorado River water) so the cut- back will not have to resort to extreme rationing by the cities. " How the conflict is resolved could have enormous implications for the entire West," claims Kasindorf, the region " is expected to add 1 million residents a year for the next three decades" ( 11 A). This article shows how important desert water is becoming in the West. The effects of growth and misuse of water have caught up to the western states, compounded by four consecutive years of drought. This is a volatile situation between the farms and cities in California which may model intra- state water negotiations in the future. This article also offers a few possible alternatives to the water crisis which relate to my thesis. The author explains how California could scrap current water laws in exchange for water laws that favor cities ( as Arizona did). Cities, he claims, could cease some agricultural water claiming it was not used beneficially. Continued conservation through low- flow shower heads and toilets are encouraged. Most importantly, however, he explains how cities could pay farmers to establish technologically advanced systems for conserving water. Katz, Peter 1994. The New Urbanism, McGraw- Hill, Inc., New York. " The Region" by Peter Calthorpe ( pp 11- 16). Key Words: City & Regional Design ( Pedestrian, Edge) New Urbanism Calthorpe argues the new urbanism idea of regional space design. The region ( regardless of land- use intensity) should be subject to the same design guidelines as urban space... pedestrian oriented, diverse and hierarchical, discernible edges, and structured by public space. Secondly, this new urbanism requires a regional and holistic application of social, economic, and ecological environments. Negatives of Growth: Calthorpe asserts that since WWII, development has followed the Los Angeles sprawl model of unrestrained growth stemming from " suburban flight, govt, mortgage policy, and highway capacity". Growing suburbia attracted jobs and became " edge cities" which decayed inner cities ( Joel Garreau). Architecture became one of same- ness, a lifeless globalization with automobile isolation. The " American Dream" of suburb life with single detached houses is also continued even though it is " increasingly out of synch with today's culture." Growth Challenges: Growth issues must be addressed regionally, finding an appropriate mix of limiting overall growth, allowing suburb growth to critical mass, redevelop or infill, and planning new growth areas. Without a regional plan, problems associated with growth will be extended ( NIMBY approach). Calthorpe claims infill and redevelopment ( both in the city and suburb) to be the most desirable sponge of growth. He is a proponent of the Urban Growth Boundary ( UGB) as demonstrated in Portland. He expresses how Portland is effective in controlling sprawl and revitalizing the urban core through use of public transit and its UGB. My project of water education and conservation must address the region's approach to design and growth. My project, as any other that occurs within or without a city affects the entire region economically, environmentally, and socially. The idea that suburbs should follow the same spatial design guidelines as cities is also intriguing and has definitely not yet taken hold. The relative spatial difficulties of suburbia would, in my mind, prevent following new urbanism principles unless a complete redesign or new design occurs. I especially appreciate the statement: " Understanding the qualities of nature in each place, expressing it in the design of communities, integrating it within our towns and respecting its balance are critical to making the human place sustainable and spiritually nourishing." 25 |
