Water and the West: The Colorado River Compact and the Politics of Water in the American West

by Norris Hundley Jr.

Back in print for the first time in over ten years, this classic account of the numerous struggles--national, state, and local--that have occurred over western American water rights since the late 1800s is thoroughly expanded and updated to trace the continuing battles raging over the West's most valuable, and contentious, resource.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science, Environment

442 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1975

About the author

Norris Cecil Hundley, Jr. (October 26, 1935 – April 28, 2013) was an American academic, historian, and writer, best known for his 1992 book, The Great Thirst, which details the history of water usage in California from 1770 to the 1990s.--Wikipedia.org

Reviews

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 20 of 2021: Water and the West by Norris Hundley, Jr.

This is a very readable history of the Colorado River Compact that is complete and engaging. I knew the broad strokes of the agreement, but the specifics were enlightening. While the Compact is fairly short reproduced in the book at 4 or 5 pages), the committees, bickering between the upper and lower basin states, and the eventual assignment of allotments for the 7 basin states by the courts was fascinating (to me).

For those interested in how the Colorado River became the most regulated river in the world this is the volume to read.

[Mills College Library]

346.73046 H933 2009