The battle over water has
characterized the West since the first homesteaders put down roots; in recent
years, the conflicts have only increased. Over the next year, NPR and NPR News
91 will explore the history, ecology and politics of water in the West —
beginning with a four-part series on NPR’s All Things Considered, airing in the
afternoons Aug. 26-29.
* In 1898 John Wesley Powell’s Report on the Arid Region of the United States
proposed a new vision for settling the West, based on the region’s lack of rain.
On Tuesday, Aug. 26, NPR correspondent Howard Berkes examines Powell’s proposal
for developing the West. Powell’s ideas flew in the face of Eastern notions of
settling the frontier, and didn't accommodate the political and financial
interests looking to amass power and fortunes in the new region. Find out how
accurate Powell was in his predictions of the future problems that would arise
if the region was not settled with a realistic assessment of its water
resources.
* The Colorado River is the main artery of the interior West. Its history is one
of dams, deals and dynasty. Seven arid states use the river; as their
populations grow, so do the conflicts. On Wednesday, Aug. 27, NPR correspondent
Elizabeth Arnold revisits the era of dam building and diversion of the Colorado,
and explains how it is that the mighty river is often sucked dry before ever
reaching the sea.
* Who does and doesn’t get water today often depends on deals that were struck a
century ago when the West was settled. Some were the result of scams aimed at
making fortunes for a few clever manipulators. Others go back more than a
century to when the land was first homesteaded. On Thursday, Aug. 28, NPR
correspondent Arnold investigates the decades-long problem of water distribution
by profiling the users of Montana’s Musselshell River and the official charged
with making sure that no one takes more water than they are entitled to.
* Agriculture uses the vast majority of water in Western states — close to 90
percent in some places. But as more and more desert is converted to cities full
of millions of people, urban dwellers are demanding a bigger share of the
region’s water. In some places, farmers are giving up the plow, selling their
rights to their liquid asset. On Friday, Aug. 29, NPR reporter Scott Horsley
looks at how different places have tried to strike a balance between the city
and the farm.
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Contacts
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NPR
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lgross@npr.org
Jim East
NPR News 91
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jeast@boisestate.edu
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Boise State communications and marketing
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kcraven@boisestate.edu
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