That water flows toward power and money is, according to Marc Reisner in his magisterial book, Cadillac Desert, “the West’s cardinal law.”  In every chapter, that sad fact is illustrated in abundance.  The book, first published in 1986 and revised in a 1993 edition, put a new lens on the American West and the regional and national politics of water.  It, like so many chronicles of the abuses of power, and the lies, arrogance, and destruction that accompany them, is both revelatory and maddening.

Dept. of Better Late than Never:  A friend gave me the book more than 30 years ago.  Continue reading →