The politics of building dams and levees and other structures
are just part of the policies determining how American rivers are
managed or mismanaged. America's well-being depends upon the health
of those rivers and important decisions go beyond just dam-building
or dam removal. American rivers are suffering from poor water
quality, altered flows, and diminished natural habitat. Current
efforts by policymakers to change the ways American rivers are
managed range from the removal of dams to the simulation of
seasonal flows to the restoration of habitat, all with varying
degrees of success.
Efforts to restore American rivers are clearly delineated by
William Lowry in "Dam Politics" as he looks at how public policy
and rivers interact, examines the physical differences in rivers
that affect policies, and analyzes the political differences among
the groups that use them. He argues that we are indeed moving into
an era of restoration (defined in part as removing dams but also as
restoring the water quality, seasonal flows, and natural habitat
that existed before structural changes to the rivers), and seeks to
understand the political circumstances that affect the degree of
restoration.
Lowry presents case studies of eight river restoration efforts,
including dam removals on the Neuse and Kennebec rivers, simulation
of seasonal flows on the Colorado river, and the failed attempt to
restore salmon runs on the Snake river. He develops a typology of
four different kinds of possible change -- dependent on the parties
involved and the physical complexity of the river -- and then
examines the cases using natural historical material along with
dozens of interviews with key policymakers. Policy approaches such
as conjunctive water management, adaptive management, alternative
licensing processes, and water marketing are presented as possible
ways of using our rivers more wisely.
"Dam Politics" provides a useful and systematic account of how
American waterways are managed and how current policies are
changing. American rivers are literally the lifeblood of our
nation. Lowry has written a lively and accessible book that makes
it clear as a mountain stream that it matters deeply how those
rivers are managed.
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