"Illustrated with historical and contemporary photographs and line drawings, this book offers the most comprehensive treatment available of the human impact on our rivers."--BOOK JACKET.

Ellen Wohl offers a survey of the history & present condition of river systems across the US. After describing the biological chemical & physical aspects of the functioning of rivers, she discusses the changes as the result of development & federal management, & examines rehabilitation projects.

Water is newsworthy: there is, or will be, a world water crisis. Aggravated by climate change, we are approaching the limits of human exploitation of freshwater resources, notably in growing essential food. The complexities and uncertainties associated with improving our management of fresh water take the potential remedies out of the hands of simple, local, hard engineering and into much larger units – the basin, the ecosystem and the global context, and also require longer term perspectives. The Third Edition follows the same structure as its predecessors, presenting the historical and scientific backgrounds to land-water interactions and establishing the links with development processes and policies. Throughout, its two major messages are that our new philosophy should be one of ‘humans in the ecosystem’ and that the guidance from science, being uncertain and contested, must be operationalized in a participatory system of governance based on participation. Following a review of progress towards these elements in the developed world, the international case studies update the situation in the developing world following the Millennium Development Goals, our new emphasis on poverty and on global food supplies. This book covers the multitude of scientific research findings, development of ‘tools’ and spatial/temporal scale challenges which have emerged in the last decade. Tensions are highlighted in the current and future role of large dams, country studies are retained (and considerably updated) and development contexts are explored in greater depth as a dividing line in capacity to cope with land and water stress. "Technical issues" have been expanded to cover major droughts, environmental flows and the restoration of rivers and wetlands. A separate chapter picks up these themes under terms of their relationship with uncertainty and the widespread perception that a new ethos of adaptive management is needed in the water sector. For students of geography, environmental science, hydrology, and development studies this innovative edition provides a reasoned, academic basis of evidence for sustainable, adaptive management of rivers and related large-scale ecosystems using more than 600 new sources. It will also prove invaluable for lecturers and practitioners.

"To fully understand this river and its past, one must examine many separate pieces of history scattered throughout two nations--seven states within the United States and two within Mexico--and sort through a large amount of scientific data. One needs to be part hydrologist, geologist, economist, sociologist, anthropologist, and historian to fully understand the entire story. Despite this river's narrow size and meager flow, its tale is very large indeed." -From the conclusion The Colorado River is a vital resource to urban and agricultural communities across the Southwest, providing water to 30 million people. Contested Waters tells the river's story-a story of conquest, control, division, and depletion. Beginning in prehistory and continuing into the present day, Contested Waters focuses on three important and often overlooked aspects of the river's use: the role of western water law in its over-allocation, the complexity of power relationships surrounding the river, and the concept of sustainable use and how it has been either ignored or applied in recent times. It is organized in two parts, the first addresses the chronological history of the river and long-term issues, while the second examines in more detail four specific topics: metropolitan perceptions, American Indian water rights, US-Mexico relations over the river, and water marketing issues. Creating a complete picture of the evolution of this crucial yet over-utilized resource, this comprehensive summary will fascinate anyone interested in the Colorado River or the environmental history of the Southwest.

Salmonid Fisheries is a landmark publication, concentrating on river management, habitat restoration and rehabilitation, disseminating lessons learnt in relation to the intensively studied salmonids that are applicable to future interventions, not just for salmonid species but for other non-salmonid species, biota and ecosystems. The contents of this book are the product of the Atlantic Salmon Trust’s 40th Anniversary Conference, held in association with the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. Drawing together carefully-edited contributions from many of the world leaders in river restoration from academia, commercial management and government agencies, this important book highlights the need to view river management from the context of the catchment and to adopt an ecosystem-based approach to restoration. The book is broadly divided into two sections which discuss first, the status of current understanding concerning the relationship between lotic habitat management, the response of salmonid fisheries and the theory of river restoration, and secondly, the application of this to habitat management and river restoration. Salmonid Fisheries is an extremely valuable work of reference for fisheries managers, ecologists, environmental scientists, fish biologists, conservation biologists and geomorphologists. Libraries in all universities and research establishments where biological and earth sciences, and fisheries management are studied or taught should have copies of this book on their shelves. Contributions from a wide range of well known experts Published in association with the Atlantic Salmon Trust Habitat management is crucial for dwindling wild salmon populations Of great importance to aquatic ecologists and fisheries managers

Robert Glennon captures the irony-and tragedy-of America's water crisis in a book that is both frightening and wickedly comical. He proposes market-based solutions that value water as both a commodity and a fundamental human right. One truth runs throughout this book: only when we recognize water's worth will we begin to conserve it.--From the publisher.