Conflict Research Consortium BOOK SUMMARY
The Colorado River: Instability and Basin Management
by
William L. Graf
Citation:
The Colorado River: Instability and Basin Management, William L. Graf, (Washington, DC: The Association of American Geographers, 1985), 86pp
This book summary written by: T. A. O'Lonergan, Conflict Research Consortium.
P>The Colorado River: Instability and Basin Management is required
reading for ARSC 5020/7020 as taught by Professors Michael Glantz and Jim
Wescoat. This work will interest those who are interested in the multiple
instabilities present in the Colorado River Basin and the challenges these pose
for management. The first chapter is a history of the Basin and an examination
of: the resource base, and the institutional structure of human,
cultural and bureaucratic systems which have impacted and managed the Basin.
The next six chapters each address a specific instability evident in the
Colorado River Basin. The first of these examines: the climatic causes
of, and effects of; channel flooding, sheet flooding
and so-called ?artificial flooding' on the hydrologic
instability of the Basin. Chapter three addresses ecological instability
in riparian vegetation. The author examines the nature of riparian
vegetation and the effects of defoliation. The presence of exotic
species and the relationship between water management and riparian
vegetation are considered.
Chapter four discusses vertical channel instability which produces
arroyos. Considered are: mechanisms and causes, and both temporal
and spatial structures. Horizontal channel instability and the
resultant channel migration is the topic of chapter five. After a
discussion of the mechanisms involved, the author examines: floodplains
and their management, and the problem of migrating channels for urban
areas. The next chapter addresses both the upstream and downstream impacts of
high dams on the Colorado system. Chemical instability
is the topic of the last save one chapter. This chapter examines: salinity,
the level of heavy metals, and radioactive materials in the
Colorado River. The final chapter is devoted to concern for the future of the
Basin. It presents: significant trends, management perspectives and the
role of geographers in the management of the Basin.
The Colorado River: Instability and Basin Management is a systematic
examination of the instabilities which affect the Colorado River Basin and
approaches to management of the Basin, given these instabilities.