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Cornerstone at the Confluence: Navigating the Colorado River Compact's Next Century
Signed on November 24, 1922, the Colorado River Compact is the cornerstone of a proverbial pyramid—an elaborate body of laws colloquially called the “Law of the River” that governs how human beings use water from the river system dubbed the “American Nile.”
No fewer than forty million people have come to rely on the Colorado River system in modern times—a river system immersed in an unprecedented, unrelenting megadrought for more than two decades. Attempting to navigate this “new normal,” policymakers are in the midst of negotiating new management rules for the river system, a process coinciding with the compact’s centennial that must be completed by 2026.
Animated by this remarkable confluence of events, Cornerstone at the Confluence leverages the centennial year to reflect on the compact and broader “Law of the River” to envision the future. It is a volume inviting dialogue about how the Colorado River system’s flows should be apportioned given climate change, what should be done about environmental issues such as ecosystem restoration and biodiversity protection, and how long-standing issues of water justice facing Native American communities should be addressed.
In one form or another, all these topics touch on the concept of “equity” embedded within the compact—a concept that tees up what is perhaps the foundational question confronted by Cornerstone at the Who should have a seat at the table of Colorado River governance?
No fewer than forty million people have come to rely on the Colorado River system in modern times—a river system immersed in an unprecedented, unrelenting megadrought for more than two decades. Attempting to navigate this “new normal,” policymakers are in the midst of negotiating new management rules for the river system, a process coinciding with the compact’s centennial that must be completed by 2026.
Animated by this remarkable confluence of events, Cornerstone at the Confluence leverages the centennial year to reflect on the compact and broader “Law of the River” to envision the future. It is a volume inviting dialogue about how the Colorado River system’s flows should be apportioned given climate change, what should be done about environmental issues such as ecosystem restoration and biodiversity protection, and how long-standing issues of water justice facing Native American communities should be addressed.
In one form or another, all these topics touch on the concept of “equity” embedded within the compact—a concept that tees up what is perhaps the foundational question confronted by Cornerstone at the Who should have a seat at the table of Colorado River governance?
324 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 8, 2022
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March 20, 2023
Book 9 of 2023: Cornerstone at the Confluence edited by Jason A. Robison (2022, University of Arizona Press, 308 p.)
A collection of interrelated essays on the Colorado River Compact in its hundreth year. The eight essays cover apportionment, environment, native Americans, and governance. The subtile "Navigating the Colorado River Compact's Next Century" describes the purpose of the book...looking back and looking forward of the Compact's (and the Law of the River) effectiveness.
The cornerstone of the title is the Compact itself...the cornerstone of water management in the Colorado River Basin. This cornerstone is at the confluence of change that the framers never thought of or outright ignored (climate change, lessening flow, tribal water rights, and environmental concerns). The Compact was forged in equity ("the equitable division and apportionment of the use of the waters..." in Article I), but concepts of equity have changed since 1922.
I thought this an excellent book with excellent ideas for moving forward to 21st century concepts of equity in water management for all without abandoning the Compact.
Additionally, this is a beautifulky designed book with gorgeous water colors scattered throughout the narrative (as well as maps and historicsl photographs).
If you're intetested in water issues in the Colorado basin, this book is highly recommended.
A collection of interrelated essays on the Colorado River Compact in its hundreth year. The eight essays cover apportionment, environment, native Americans, and governance. The subtile "Navigating the Colorado River Compact's Next Century" describes the purpose of the book...looking back and looking forward of the Compact's (and the Law of the River) effectiveness.
The cornerstone of the title is the Compact itself...the cornerstone of water management in the Colorado River Basin. This cornerstone is at the confluence of change that the framers never thought of or outright ignored (climate change, lessening flow, tribal water rights, and environmental concerns). The Compact was forged in equity ("the equitable division and apportionment of the use of the waters..." in Article I), but concepts of equity have changed since 1922.
I thought this an excellent book with excellent ideas for moving forward to 21st century concepts of equity in water management for all without abandoning the Compact.
Additionally, this is a beautifulky designed book with gorgeous water colors scattered throughout the narrative (as well as maps and historicsl photographs).
If you're intetested in water issues in the Colorado basin, this book is highly recommended.
Displaying 1 of 1 review