Water War in the Klamath Basin: Macho Law, Combat Biology, and Dirty Politics [Paperback]

Holly D. Doremus (Author), A. Dan Tarlock (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 159726394X | ISBN-13: 978-1597263948 | Publication Date: April 30, 2008 | Edition: 1

In the drought summer of 2001, a simmering conflict between agricultural and environmental interests in southern Oregon’s Upper Klamath Basin turned into a guerrilla war of protests, vandalism, and apocalyptic rhetoric when the federal Bureau of Reclamation shut down the headgates of the Klamath Project to conserve water needed by endangered species. This was the first time in U.S. history that the headgates of a federal irrigation project were closed—and irrigators denied the use of their state water rights—in favor of conservation. Farmers mounted a brief rebellion to keep the water flowing, but ultimately conceded defeat.

In Water War in the Klamath Basin, legal scholars Holly Doremus and A. Dan Tarlock examine the genesis of the crisis and its fallout, offering a comprehensive review of the event, the history leading up to it, and the lessons it holds for anyone seeking to understand conflicts over water use in the arid West. The authors focus primarily on the legal institutions that contributed to the conflict—what they call “the accretion of unintegrated resource management and environmental laws” that make environmental protection so challenging, especially in politically divided regions with a long-standing history of entitlement-based resource allocation.

Water War in the Klamath Basin explores common elements fundamental to natural resource conflicts that must be overcome if conflicts are to be resolved. It is a fascinating look at a topic of importance for anyone concerned with the management, use, and conservation of increasingly limited natural resources.

Editorial Reviews

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About the Author

Holly Doremus is professor of law at the University of California, Davis. She has written extensively about biodiversity protection and the intersection of environmental law and natural science.

A. Dan Tarlock is Distinguished Professor of Law at the Chicago-Kent College of Law. He was principal writer of the Report of the Western Water Policy Review Advisory Committee, Water in the West: Challenge for the Next Century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (April 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159726394X
• ISBN-13: 978-1597263948
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,048,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thorough examination of a heavily debated issue, July 13, 2008

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Water War in the Klamath Basin: Macho Law, Combat Biology, and Dirty Politics (Paperback)

All living things need water, and no one knows this more than farmers. "Water War in the Klamath Basin: Maco Law, Combat Biology, and Dirty Politics" is a look at the drought of 2001, and how the conservation-minded policy makers were set at odds with the farmers - who needed all the water they could get to keep their livelihood alive. A thorough examination of a heavily debated issue, "Water War in the Klamath Basin" is an essential pick for academic and community library environmental studies collections and supplemental reading lists.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch