Water in the West: Environment & Politics in America's Arid Lands

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Course Description: Politics and environmental consequences of water development in the arid western United States since 1848, with emphasis on California and western rivers, including the Colorado, Columbia, Missouri, and Mississippi. Irrigated settlement, the making of state and federal water law and bureaucracy, urban vs. rural competition, Native water rights, growth of irrigation technologies, groundwater overdraft, wildlife impacts. One half-day field trip required.