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Cadillac Desert (Marc Reisner)

Marc Reisner's book Cadillac Desert tells the story of the American West in terms of the search for water, a search that became even more intense as communities developed with a real need for water for drinking, agriculture, and other purposes. This is a battle that continues to this day, and many political animosities have developed between different parts of the West over the issue of water, where it comes from, and who gets to use it. The author notes that much of the western region is either desert or semi-desert, with vast areas containing no towns and no human inhabitants at all as well as no forests, lakes, or rivers. Certain portions of the West, on the other hand, are highly built up, notably the Southern California region, much of which seems like one large city extending down the coast. Reisner traces the history of human settlement in the West and the human and economic needs for water. He spends a good deal of time on the case of William Mulholland, who had come from Ireland in 1878 and worked as a ditch digger for the L.A. water system. He taught himself hydraulic engineering and in time was made superintendent, and he was faced with a rising population that needed more and more water until the Los Angeles River, the only source of water, was simply dried up. Mulholland looked north to the Owens Valley for water, and the controversy over that action continues to this day. Another major effort came with the creation of Hoover Dam, with controversies developing over the distribution of that water. Reisner also finds that for all the water development that has been undertaken, the results have not been spectacular. In addition, most of the water used has been nonrenewable groundwater, raising issues of conservation and future environmental impact. The West continues to need water and continues to have trouble finding a sufficient quantity.

Water is a renewable resource that has a potential for scarcity. The ...

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Cadillac Desert (Marc Reisner). (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 22:14, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1691145.html