David Owen’s “Where The Water Goes” follows the author along the length of the Colorado River as he narrates the complex legal, economic, and environmental issues around water usage.
What stood out to me in this book is the cascading of unintended consequences, even from what seem like sensible environmentally conscious decisions.
For example:
- Allowing man-made lakes to dry up releases captured pollution into the air
- Water waste provides neccissary “slack” in water system capacity and replenishes the water table
- Efficient water consumption induces more water utilization
- Removing water-intensive plants increases dust and creates “heat islands”
- Man-made water ways become critical support systems for endangered species
The ways in which decisions, compromises, and accidents continued to change the social, environmental, and literal landscape were mind-boggling. Overall, it made me interested in learning more about the state of the waterways in the upper Midwest where I live.