Background

In 1985, Donald Worster published his treatise titled: Rivers of Empire: Water, Aridity and the Growth of the American West. Although the authors of this paper disagree with some of the historian's conclusions about hydraulic societies, many of his points are thought-provoking and worthy of discussion; they provide good background for this paper.

In his book, Worster concludes (p. 329): "The ancient water-controlling civilizations of Asia were all stagnant and fearful of change. The elaborate infrastructure they created in their drive for technological dominance over nature became an obstacle to new possibilities, to creativity." He further argues that a similar scenario is unfolding with water-controlling infrastructure in the western United States; large water projects, although technological marvels, have lead to repressive empire building, rigid bureaucracies, and worst of all anti-democratic behavior.

Worster correctly sees the West as at a crossroads and wonders if it will be able to resolve its water-related issues (over-allocation, salinity management, drainage, etc.). He advocates a return to John Wesley Powell's dream of management by river basin and watershed, a concept which has recently been endorsed by a wide range of organizations including the Western Water Policy Review Advisory Commission (1997, p. S-7): "we should organize water planning, programs, agencies, findings, and decision making around natural systems--the watersheds and river basins."

Worster concedes that there is a continuing role for technology, but a technology that is less invasive than large-scale construction. He feels there is a strong need to better operate in-place infrastructure. Powell, during his lifetime, was a strong advocate of technology, but technology applied at the local level. One technology which fits the Worster/Powell requirements is the integration of low-cost automation with the Internet. Combined, they not only allow for more timely decision-making, but they are also empowering. By universally distributing real-time information, they bring knowledge to all over the Internet.