Presented on June 13, 1997
Marc Reisner, author, Cadillac Desert
"Water: some might say it's how the West was won. Until the federal government began funding irrigation projects in the Northwest, scant rainfall and seasonal drought ruled much of the land.
The construction of multiple dams on the once wild Columbia and snake Rivers has changed the water and land forever. Today irrigation allows for farming where crops could never previously have survived. Hydropower provides energy for industrial manufacturing. And cheap electricity supplies power to Northwest residents.
And the drawbacks? The issue of ""who's water is it,"" is no longer simple; countless groups have a stake in owning a section of river. Tribal rights for fishing and river access are in dispute. The salmon epic is well documented. In short, there is a high price for how we are managing our waterways. The question is: should we continue to pay?
Author Marc Reisner has chronicled the struggle for water in the American West in his landmark book, Cadillac Desert. He joins us this Friday to touch on the enduring conflicts between agricultural, environmental, and social interests that are linked to Northwest water resources."
