The Role Of Dams In The Urban West

Phoenix wouldn't exist if not for the dams built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Now, some are questioning its usefulness.

1 minute read

June 17, 2002, 1:00 PM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"...[T]he agency faces serious questions about its role in the new, more urban West. Many of the original dams and canals were built to serve farmers and, critics charge, are now inefficient and wasteful. Environmentalists accuse the bureau of destroying ecosystems by damming rivers like the Colorado. Some groups want much of what the bureau did undone, beginning with the dismantling of Glen Canyon Dam... They acknowledge that their mission has evolved from simply building dams and canals to managing a valuable natural resource, a job that may now include knocking down a dam or two."

Thanks to Laura Kranz

FULL STORY: Dams' role in flux for urban West

Monday, June 17, 2002 in The Arizona Republic

Environment Arizona

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