Excerpt
Certainly one of the most challenging current and future natural resource issues, especially in arid and semiarid regions, is water. This issue of JSWC looks at this most valuable resource in detail.
In arid and semiarid regions of the world, the viability of agriculture and hence, the economy, is determined by the effectiveness of water conservation and management of technological development and application. The western United States is no exception. The extensive federal-and state-level involvement in water development and movement is testimony to its economic importance.
The future of water management and conservation lies increasingly in the hands of the natural resource managers and research specialists. Federal budget constraints and increasing environmental concern about large water projects are moving water management strategies more to the local and watershed levels. Natural resource conservationists must be positioned.
In Colorado, for example, local-level water management initiatives are replacing traditional large project management and water storage initiatives. The Two Forks Dam project proposed by the City of Denver is just one example. This multimillion dollar project did not receive authorization and has been replaced by an aggressive community-level water conservation effort.
Conservationists …
Footnotes
- Copyright 1995 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.