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Show I RESEARCH PAPER The Salt Lake Valley has a colorful history of water use. Early immigrants knew the desert water held their fate. Upon arrival, immediate efforts in water appropriation and conservation began, securing survival for the settlers and forming a model for life and expansion in the arid West. Recently however, respect for water as a precious resource has diminished. The com modification of water is correlated with the western expansion, subsequent globalization, and the politization of environmental issues. These forces are manifest in the valley as expressed by sprawling human intervention, the subversion of streams below the city fabric, and recent environmental divisiveness in area politics. The reality of water shortage has become more apparent in the region and area. The American West has sustained its fourth consecutive year of drought, seeing aquifers and reservoirs at their lowest levels in decades. Sustained population growth in the region has continued and prolonged the effects of drought. With growth outpacing available water resources, the risk of water shortage is expanding. Additionally, water quality risks are innate to this saline environment. Concentration and accumulation of salts in the effluent, or runoff water, are typical in the desert. Irrigation compounds the problem by further increasing salt concentrations. Without tremendous care, this salinity can effectively kill the soil and render water supplies unhealthy for human or animal use. With the recent drought extending, area leadership is beginning to internalize these water risks, as evidenced by emerging water conservation initiatives and pending policy changes on landscaping requirements. Despite the cooperation of area leadership, efforts to stem water shortages in the public realm are lagging. Individuals often view the water crisis as either a polarizing political issue or choose to deny its existence, divorcing themselves from any responsibility. Both the politization of water use from extreme regional subcultures and the lassie faire attitude stemming from homogenizing modern society and its endless pursuit of the American Dream threaten to dry up our precious water. A separation of environmental concern from political association and a reconnection of each of us with this place and its unifying past may be necessary before we sense and internalize our precarious relationship with desert water. Risk internalization will be required on all levels including individuals, communities and governments before any behavioral change becomes widespread and sustained. Most importantly however, despite everyone's concerted efforts in careful water use and management, evidence shows conservation alone will not be enough. The valley will necessarily appeal to other sources of water supplies and technological intervention to satisfy future water needs. Area Water History The first mass migration of settlers to the western United States was accomplished by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints led by Brigham Young. Their chosen destination: The Salt Lake Valley. Early descriptions of the valley illustrate the extreme difficulty that awaited the settlers. Orson F. Whitney stated, " Aside from its scenic splendor. . . there [ is] little to invite and much to repel. On all sides a seemingly interminable waste of sagebrush" ( Hooton, 2). The work of survival loomed as daunting as the hot desert sun. The cool mountain streams provided their only relief. " Immediately upon arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, the Mormon settlers realized that the proper development of water was the key" to sustaining life and economy ( Wiley, 146). The means and methods of using this water would secure the success or demise of their settlement and life. On July 23rd, 1847, the first pioneer party arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. They stopped on the grounds of the present- day City and County Building and immediately dammed the south fork of City Creek which flowed there, diverting water to the nearby land being plowed. This event has shaped the legacy of Utah and the entire West ( Hooton, 2). Seeing the fundamental significance of water and the potential of dominion or wasteful use, Brigham Young abandoned the Eastern model of riparian rights in favor of cooperative appropriations. Explaining his intent for conservation, Brigham Young said, " No man has the right to waste one drop of water that another man can turn into bread" ( Wiley, 146). The mouth of every canyon soon saw settlements centered on irrigation systems. Though water was still a precious resource, it was now treated as public domain. The Colorado River John Westley Powell, the famous early appraiser of western water, was greatly impressed by Brigham Young's cooperative appropriation of water. Powell felt strongly that the only way settlements in the West could survive would be to follow |
