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Heltaher
Heltaher

Arid Ambition: Conquering the American Desert

Key Insights
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  • The American West cannot be remade into the East
  • Water scarcity requires massive intervention
  • Political corruption underlies water projects
  • Engineering hubris leads to disasters
  • The West’s civilization is precarious

References
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  1. Reisner, M. (1993). Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water. Penguin Books.
  2. Worster, D. (1985). Rivers of Empire: Water, Aridity, and the Growth of the American West. Pantheon Books.
  3. Powell, J. W. (1878). Report on the Lands of the Arid Region of the United States. Government Printing Office.
  4. Hundley, N. (2001). The Great Thirst: Californians and Water, 1770s-1990s. University of California Press.
  5. Kahrl, W. L. (1982). Water and Power: The Conflict over Los Angeles’ Water Supply in the Owens Valley. University of California Press.